Fablehaven Reads Fablehaven 2
by S.Drener
Summary: The good Fablehaven characters meet up at Fablehaven and have a nice story-time. This is a continuation to 1238904756's Fablehaven reads Fablehaven. Fablehaven! Bracken! He's painstakingly handsome, I know! Vanessa and Kendra are downright beautiful! Warren is gorgeous, in a manly way! Seth is such an idiot! I. Just. Love. Them.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 7: PRISONER IN A JAR

A/N: First and foremost I would like 1238904756 to thank for letting me continue his story. This is my first time to write a story here much less to inherit one. Also I would like to imply that I don't own Fablehaven or any of its characters all thanks goes to Brandon Mull. The story is in bold letters while the conversations and side-comments from the characters are in normal type letters. The short story recaps are in italics and the words exchanged telepathically are in italics without quote marks.

-_PREVIOUSLY_-

_The Fairy Queen leaned behind her son to talk to Kendra. "Thank you for stepping in for that man. I do not enjoy my subjects being imprisoned, but from what Bracken told me and from what I heard at the end of this chapter, I suppose I can tolerate his... dealings."_

_Kendra smiled. "Thank you, your majesty. I appreciate it."_

-_SUBSEQUENTLY_-

Stan looked at his watch and clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Well, it's getting late and it's almost lunchtime but I do think we can get one more chapter unfolded."

Everyone nodded their heads vigorously, well everyone except the Fairy Queen who nodded enthusiastically still but with a little more grace. There was silence as they waited who would be the next one to take the book from Stan and read the next chapter. All eyes turned to Doren as he stood and walked over to Stan.

"I refuse to be left alone in the dark while Newel," he points a thumb at Newel. "Basks in the glory of being able to read a chapter for the lovely Vanessa."

Seth laughed hysterically pounding his hands against the ground, while Kendra and Bracken chuckle to themselves Hugo too produced a craggy grin. Apparently they were the only ones who knew that the satyrs liked Vanessa. A lot. Stan crinkled his brow after studying the quartet then handed the book to Doren which was slower than when he had given it to Newel. Vanessa cringed after hearing those words but decided against speaking and inched closer to Warren and he too inched closer to Vanessa. Stan took his place beside Hank as Doren resumed Stan's former position.

**The floorboards creaked gently as Kendra and Seth tiptoed down the stairs. **

"It's starting to get boring again," Newel moaned.

Everyone else looked at him with a finger placed on their lips saying, "Shush!"

**Early morning light filtered through the closed blinds and drawn curtains. The house was still. The opposite of last night. Beneath their covers in the dark attic the night before, Kendra and Seth had found sleeping impossible as they listened to howling laughter, shattering glass, twittering flutes, slamming doors, and the constant din of shouted conversations. **

"Well," Seth scoffed. "Do you know why I find sleeping impossible nowadays, Kendra?"

"What?" she asked obviously interested. Nowadays Seth slept through almost anything.

"You," Seth replied snickering. "Snoring right on the bed next to mine."

"Good one Seth!" Newel and Doren cheered.

Marla looked like she was about to scold her son when Bracken looked at Seth. Thinking of what his intentions might be, she calmed herself.

"It isn't good to spread false accusations about Kendra," Bracken replied in a stern tone which made the laughing satyrs and Seth stop abruptly.

Seth regained his composure and coughed into his fist for attention. "Why is that Bracken?" he implied with a suggesting tone.

Bracken blushed and faced Kendra. "Seth," Kendra began with a tone which Seth didn't like. "You better watch your mouth or I will break you apart."

**When they opened the door to sneak down and spy on the festivities, Lena was always seated at the foot of the attic stairs, reading a book. **

**"Go back to bed," she said each time they attempted a reconnaissance mission. "Your grandfather is still negotiating."**

"I can't believe it Kendra," her mom said amused. "I thought you wouldn't break the house rules!"

"I was curious, mom!" Kendra replied hastily.

**Eventually Kendra fell asleep. She believed it was the silence that had finally awakened her in the morning. When she rolled out of bed, Seth arose as well. Now they were creeping down the stairs in hopes of glimpsing the aftermath of the night's revelry. The brass coat rack had toppled in the entry hall, surrounded by hooked triangles of broken glass. A painting lay face down on the floor, frame cracked. A primitive symbol was scrawled on the wall in orange chalk. They passed quietly into the living room. Tables and chairs had been overturned. Lampshades hung crooked and torn. Empty glasses, bottles, and plates lay scattered about, several of them cracked or broken. A ceramic pot lay in pieces around a pile of soil and the remnants of a plant. Food stains appeared at every turn - melted cheese caked into the carpeting, tomato sauce drying on the arm of a love seat, a squashed chair oozing custard all over an ottoman. Grandpa Sorenson was snoring on the couch, using a curtain for a blanket. The curtain rod was still attached. He clutched a wooden scepter like a teddy bear. **

Doren stopped reading for a moment to look at the sky soon he started guffawing and slapping his shins. Everyone looked at him confused as to why he was doing this.

"Try imagining Stan!" he suggested between laughs. Soon everyone else was laughing except Stan who was looking at the ground nervously.

**The strange staff was carved with vines twisting around the shaft and topped by a large pinecone. **

"Newel, wasn't that the same staff that Dionysus has?" asked Doren.

"No," Newel replied smugly. "It's a replica and we aren't even sure if he exists."

**Despite all the commotion they had heard the night before, Grandpa was the only sign of life. Seth roamed off toward the study. Kendra was about to follow when she noticed an envelope on a table near her grandfather. A thick seal of crimson wax had been broken, and part of a folded paper protruded invitingly. Kendra glanced at Grandpa Sorenson. He was facing away from the letter, and showed no sign of stirring. If he didn't want a letter read, he shouldn't leave it out in the open, right? It wasn't as if she were stealing it unopened from his mailbox. And she had several unanswered questions about Fablehaven, not the least of which concerned what was actually going on with her grandma. Kendra eased over to the table, a queasy feeling in her stomach. Maybe she should have Seth read it. Invading privacy wasn't really her forte. But it would be so simple. The letter was right in front of her, conveniently sticking out of the open envelope. Nobody would know. She tipped the envelope up and found there was no address or return address. The envelope was blank. Hand-delivered. Had Maddox brought it? Probably.**

"Oh dear, Kendra is beginning to become just like her brother!" Marla said.

"I don't remember Kendra telling me she read it," Stan scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Ugh... Grandpa," Kendra groaned.

**After a final glance to ensure Grandpa still looked comatose, Kendra slid the cream-colored paper out of the envelope and unfolded it. The message was written in bold script.**

**Stanley, I trust this missive finds you in good health. It has come to our attention that the SES has been exhibiting unusual activity in the northeast of the United States. We remain uncertain whether they have pinpointed the location of Fablehaven, but one unconfirmed report suggests they are in communication with an individual on your preserve. Mounting evidence implies the secret is out. I need not remind you about the attempted infiltration of a certain preserve in the interior of Brazil last year. Nor the significance of that preserve in connection with the significance of yours. As you well know, we have not detected such aggressive activity from the SES in decades. We are preparing to reassign additional resources to your vicinity. As always, secrecy and misdirection remain top priorities. Be vigilant. I continue to search diligently for a resolution to the situation with Ruth. Do not lose hope. With everlasting fidelity, S**

**Kendra reread the letter. Ruth was her grandma's name. What situation? SES had to be the Society of the Evening Star. What did the "S" at the end of the letter stand for? **

"I believe S stands for Sphinx," the Sphinx said looking rather pleased.

Everyone else gave a nod. It was very obvious but no one mentioned that.

**The entire message seemed a bit vague, probably deliberately. "Look at this," Seth whispered from the kitchen. Kendra jumped, every muscle in her body tensing. Grandpa smacked his lips and shifted on the couch. Kendra stood temporarily immobilized by guilty panic. Seth was not looking at her. He was stooping over something in the kitchen. Grandpa became still again. **

"I hope that I had caught her reading the letter," Stan whispered to Hank.

**Kendra folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope, trying to situate it as she had found it. Moving stealthily, she joined Seth, who crouched over muddy hoof prints. **

**"Were they riding horses in here?" he asked.**

"Really?" Doren chuckled. "Horses? You thought your best pals were horses?"

"Hey I didn't know that then!" Seth cried defensively.

**"It would explain the racket," she murmured, trying to sound casual.**

"I can't believe it," Newel snorted. "You too Kendra? I always thought you were smarter than Seth."

"Hey!" Seth replied. Kendra smiled she definitely liked being smarter than her brother.

"But of course Seth was always braver," Newel added.

"And more uhm... considerate," Doren continued. Now the smile Kendra had was gone.

**Lena appeared in the doorway, dressed in a bathrobe, hair awry. "Look at you early risers," she said softly. "You caught us before cleanup." **

**Kendra stared at Lena, trying to keep her expression unreadable. The housekeeper showed no indication of having seen her spying at the letter. Seth pointed at the hoof prints. **

**"What the heck happened?" **

**"The negotiations went well." **

**"Is Maddox still here?" Seth asked hopefully. **

**Lena shook her head. "He left in a taxi about an hour ago." **

**Grandpa Sorenson shuffled into the kitchen wearing boxers, socks, and an undershirt stained with brown mustard. He squinted at them.**

"I remember exactly how much like a zombie grandpa looked like that day," Seth mumbled out loud thoughtfully. Ruth looked at him as if though glaring. Stan felt happy for her support.

"What?" asked Seth innocently. "He did look like one." Ruth chuckled. Stan sighed.

"Even you look like a zombie when you wake up," Kendra argued.

**"What are you all doing up at this ungodly hour?" **

**"It's after seven," Seth said. **

"Stan forget," Hugo laughed. The golem was improving his talking skills impressively.

**Grandpa covered a yawn with his fist. He held the envelope in his other hand. "I'm feeling a little under the weather today - might go lie down for a spell. As you were." He shambled off, scratching his thigh. **

**"You kids may want to play outside this morning," Lena said. "Your grandfather was up until forty minutes ago. He had a long night. " **

**"I'm going to have a tough time taking Grandpa seriously when he tells us to show respect for the furniture," Kendra said. "It looks like he drove a tractor through here."**

**"Pulled by horses!" Seth added. **

"Satyrs," Newel and Doren shook scolding fingers in front of Seth's face.

**"Maddox enjoys a celebration, and your grandfather is an accommodating host," Lena said. "Without your grandmother here to rein in the merriment, things got a little too festive. Didn't help that they invited the satyrs." She nodded at the muddy hoof prints.**

**"Satyrs?" Kendra asked. "Like goat men?" **

"They're finally getting the idea!" the satyrs observed.

**Lena nodded. "Some would say they liven up a party too much." **

"Yes, quite true." Warren agreed.

**"Those are goat prints?" Seth asked. **

**"Satyr prints, yes." **

**"I wish I could have seen them," Seth mourned. **

**"Your parents would be glad you didn't. Satyrs would only teach you bad manners. I think they invented them."**

"We didn't invent that," Newel said slowly. "We invented uhm... awesome manners."

"Which in Kendra's perspective is idiot manners," Seth shrugged. "It depends on how you look at it."

**"I'm sad we missed the party," Kendra said. **

**"Don't be. It was not a party for young people. As caretaker, your grandfather would never drink, but I can't vouch for the satyrs. We'll have a proper party before you leave us." **

**"Will you invite satyrs?" Seth asked.**

"You had a party before you left?" Doren asked. "I don't think we got invited."

**"Well, we'll see what your grandfather says," Lena said doubtfully.**

"So Stan was behind it," Doren concluded.

"Actually we didn't have a party," Seth recounted.

**"Maybe one." Lena opened the refrigerator and poured two glasses of milk. "Drink your milk and then run along. I have some heavy cleaning ahead of me." **

**Kendra and Seth took their glasses. Lena opened the pantry, removing a broom and dustpan, and left the room. Kendra drank her milk in several deep swallows and set her empty glass on the counter. **

**"Want to go for a swim?" she asked. **

**"I'll catch up," Seth said. He still had milk in his glass. **

**Kendra walked away. After finishing his milk, Seth peeked into the pantry. So many shelves packed with so much food! One shelf featured nothing but large jars of homemade preserves. Closer investigation revealed that the jars were lined up three deep. Seth backed out of the pantry and looked around. Reentering the pantry, he removed a large jar of boysenberry preserves, pulling another jar forward from the second row to disguise the absence. They might miss a half-empty jar from the fridge. But one of many unopened jars from an overstuffed pantry? Not likely. He could be sneakier than Kendra knew.**

"Apparently also sneakier than I knew," Stan added. "I thought Dale took it."

"I did take one," Dale answered.

"You did?" Stan asked, bewildered. "I didn't notice!"

**The fairy balanced on a twig protruding from a low hedge beside the pool. Arms extended to either side, she walked along the tiny limb, adjusting as it wobbled. The further out she got, the less stable she became. The miniature beauty queen had platinum hair, a silver dress, and glittering, translucent wings. Seth sprang forward, slashing downward with the pool skimmer. The blue mesh struck the twig, but the fairy darted away at the last instant. She hovered, shaking a scolding finger at Seth. He swung the skimmer again, and the nimble fairy evaded capture a second time, soaring well out of range.**

"Maddox apparently had some influence over you," Ruth commented.

"Seth, you do know you might hurt them?" his mother asked anxious.

"I know, mom." Seth answered reluctantly.

**"You shouldn't do that," Kendra said from the pool.**

"Exactly!" Marla beamed. "I'm so proud of you Kendra."

**"Why not? Maddox catches them." **

**"Out in the wild," Kendra corrected. "These already belong to Grandpa. It's like hunting lions at the zoo." **

**"Maybe hunting lions at the zoo would be good practice." **

**"You're going to end up making the fairies mad at you." **

**"They don't mind," he said, creeping up on a fairy with wide, gauzy wings fluttering inches above a flowerbed. "They just fly away." He slowly moved the pool skimmer into position. The fairy was directly beneath the mesh, less than two feet away from captivity. With a flick of his wrists, he slapped the skimmer down sharply. The fairy dodged around it and glided off. **

**"What are you going to do if you catch one?" **

**"Probably let it go." **

**"So what's the point?" **

**"To see if I can do it." **

**Kendra boosted herself out of the water. "Well, obviously you can't. They're too fast." Dripping, she walked over to her towel. "Oh my gosh, look at that one." She pointed at the base of a blossoming bush. **

**"Where?" **

**"Right there. Wait until she moves. She's practically invisible."**

"I didn't know we had a fairy like that," Stan thought. "We might want to ask help from Maddox to find and take a picture of the fairy."

Kendra glanced worriedly at the Fairy Queen for any sign of hostility. She found none. Apparently a picture isn't as threatening as catching them then she saw Seth gulp nervously form the corner of her eye.

**He stared at the bush, unsure whether she was teasing him. A bobbing distortion began warping the leaves and blossoms. **

**"Whoa!" **

**"See! She's clear like glass." **

**Seth edged forward, clutching the pool skimmer. **

**"Seth, don't." **

**Suddenly he charged, opting for a rapid assault this time. The transparent fairy flew away, vanishing against the sky. "Why won't they hold still!"**

Kendra saw Bracken and the Fairy Queen breathe a sigh of relief.

**"They're magic," Kendra said. "The fun is just looking at them, seeing all the variety."**

**"Real fun. Kind of like when Mom makes us go on drives to look at the leaves changing color." **

"Well those rides might be fun," Scott murmured to himself.

**"I want to grab some breakfast. I'm starving." **

**"Then go. Maybe I'll have better luck without you squawking."**

"You know what," Seth said. "That's actually true."

The Fairy Queen and Bracken clenched their hands. Kendra sensed something bad. Leave it to Seth to blab something that will turn against him later.

**Kendra walked to the house wrapped in her towel. She entered the back door and found Lena dragging a broken coffee table into the kitchen. Much of the surface of the table had been made of glass. Most of it was broken. "Need a hand?" Kendra asked.**

**"Mine are plenty." **

"Exactly how many hands does a naiad have?" Trask raised his hand.

Everyone looked at him like he was a complete idiot.

"Trask," Mara said while tugging at his sleeve. "What's wrong with you?"

"I just wanted to do something fun," he muttered as everyone else looked back at Doren. "Be a little more like Seth, Warren or maybe even Patton."

**Kendra went and grabbed the other end of the table. They set it in a corner of the spacious kitchen. Other broken objects rested there as well, including the jagged fragments of the ceramic pot Kendra had noticed earlier. **

**"Why pile everything here?" **

**"This is where the brownies come." **

**"Brownies?" **

"What kind of brownies?" Raxtus asked from the back of the crowd. "Is it chocolate?"

Everyone smiled they all liked the fairy dragon and they answered. "No, it isn't Raxtus."

"Come again?" the dragon said as scratched his ear.

"You'll get the idea soon enough," Tanu said.

**"Come look." Lena led Kendra to the basement door, pointing out a second little door at the base, about the size a cat would use. "The brownies have a special hatch that admits them to the basement, and they can use this door to enter the kitchen. They are the only magical creatures with permission to enter the house at will. The brownie portals are guarded by magic against all other creatures of the forest."**

"So it wasn't food?" Raxtus was shocked. "Oh uhm... my mistake."

The fairies and the naiads giggled making Raxtus a lot more embarrassed.

**"Why let them in?" **

**"Brownies are useful. They repair things. They make things. They are remarkable craftsmen." **

**"They'll fix the broken furniture?" **

**"Improve it if they can." **

**"Why?" **

**"It is their nature. They will accept no reward." **

**"How nice of them," Kendra said. **

**"In fact, tonight, remind me to leave out some cooking ingredients. By morning, they will have baked us a treat." **

**"What will they cook?"**

**"You never know. You don't make requests. You just leave out ingredients and see how they combine them." **

**"How fun!" **

**"I'll leave out a bunch. No matter what strange combinations you leave, they always invent something delicious." **

"I wonder," Marla said thoughtfully. "Why don't we take some brownies as pets?"

Scott, Hank, Stan, Ruth and Gloria shook their heads.

"No?" Marla asked astonished. "I thought everyone might like the idea."

**"There is so much I don't know about Fablehaven," Kendra declared. "How big is it?"**

**"The preserve stretches for many miles in some directions. Much bigger than you would suppose." **

**"And there are creatures throughout?" **

**"Through most of it," Lena said. "But as your grandfather has warned you, some of those creatures can be deadly. There are many places on the property where even he does not dare venture."**

"Like the tar pit!" Seth cried joyfully.

"If you remember correctly the tar pit is now in neutral ground," Vanessa corrected. "So are all the other demon lairs since the demons are gone now."

"Alright!" Seth cried happier than before.

**"I want to know more. All the details." **

**"Be patient. Let it unfold." She turned to the refrigerator and changed the subject. "You must be hungry." **

**"A little." **

**"I'll whip up some eggs. Will Seth want some?" **

**"Probably," Kendra said, leaning against the counter. "I've been wondering, is everything from mythology true?" **

**"Explain what you mean." **

**"I've seen fairies, and evidence of satyrs. Is it all real?" **

**"No mythology or religion that I know of holds all the answers. Most religions are based on truths, but they are also polluted by the philosophies and imaginations of men. I take it your question refers to Greek mythology. Is there a pantheon of petty gods who constantly bicker and interfere in the lives of mortals? I know of no such beings. Are there some true elements to those ancient stories and beliefs? Obviously. You're talking to a former naiad. Scrambled?" **

**"What?" **

**"The eggs."**

**"Oh, sure." **

**Lena began cracking eggs into a pan. "Many of the beings who dwell here existed gracefully when primitive man foraged in ragged tribes. We taught man the secrets of bread and clay and fire. But man became blind to us over time. Interaction with mortals became rare. And then mankind began to crowd us. Explosions in population and technology stole many of our ancient homes. Mankind held no particular malice toward us. We had simply faded into colorful caricatures inhabiting myths and fables. There are quiet corners of the world where our kind continue to thrive in the wild. And yet the day will inevitably come when the only space remaining to us will be these sanctuaries, a precious gift from enlightened mortals." **

**"It's so sad," Kendra said.**

"That truly is sad," Elise said, mostly a serious girl but now on the verge of tears.

**"Do not frown. My kind do not dwell on these concerns. They forget the fences enclosing these preserves. I should not speak of what used to be. With my fallen mind, I see the changes much more clearly than they do. I feel the loss more keenly."**

**"Grandpa said a night is coming when all the creatures here will run wild." **

**"Ah, Midsummer Eve. The festival night." **

**"What's it like?" **

"It's one of the days when Seth is so stupid he opens a window," Kendra muttered.

"I was stupid then," Seth muttered.

**"I'd better not say. I don't think your grandfather wants you kids worrying about it until the time comes. He would rather have scheduled your visit to avoid the festival night."**

**Kendra tried to sound nonchalant. "Will we be in danger?"**

"Of course you will be," Kendra muttered to herself. "Seth, the walking disaster is with you."

"In the past," Seth muttered losing his patience.

"I think you guys should stop that and listen," Bracken soothed.

**"Now I've got you worried. You will be fine if you follow the instructions your grandfather gives you." **

**"What about the Society of the Evening Star? Maddox sounded worried about them."**

**"The Society of the Evening Star has always been a threat," Lena admitted. "But these preserves have endured for centuries, some for millennia. Fablehaven is well protected, and your grandfather is no fool. You needn't worry about speculative rumors. I'll not say more on the subject. Cheese in your eggs?"**

**"Yes, please."**

**With Kendra gone, Seth got out the equipment he had bundled in his towel, including his emergency kit and the jar he had smuggled from the pantry. The jar was now empty, washed clean in the bathroom sink. Taking out his pocket knife, Seth used the awl to punch holes in the lid. Unscrewing the top, he gathered bits of grass, flower petals, a twig, and a pebble, and placed them in the jar. Then he wandered across the garden from the pool, leaving the skimmer behind. If skill failed, he would resort to cunning. He found a good spot not far from a fountain, then took the small mirror from his cereal box and placed it in the jar. Setting the jar on a stone bench, he settled in the grass nearby, lid in hand. **

The Fairy Queen twitched uncomfortably. Seth is gonna be in big trouble.

**It did not take the fairies long. Several flitted around the fountain. A few drifted over, lazily orbiting the jar. After a couple of minutes, a small one with wings like a bee landed on the edge of the jar, staring into it. Apparently satisfied, she dropped inside and began admiring herself in the mirror. Soon she was joined by another. And another. Seth moved slowly closer until he was within reach of the jar. All the fairies exited it. He waited. Some flew off. New ones came. One entered the jar, followed quickly by two more. **

**Seth pounced, slapping the lid onto the jar. **

The Fairy Queen grimaced and Seth noticed from the corner of his eye.

**The fairies were so quick! He expected to catch all three, but two whizzed out just before the lid covered the opening. The remaining fairy pushed against the lid with surprising force. He screwed it shut. The fairy inside stood no taller than his little finger. She had fiery red hair and iridescent dragonfly wings. The incensed fairy pounded her tiny fists noiselessly against the wall of the jar. All around him, Seth heard the tinkling of miniature bells. The other fairies were pointing and laughing. The fairy in the jar beat against the glass even harder, but to no avail. Seth had captured his prize.**

"Uhm... Fairy Queen?" Seth raised a hand a gulped.

"Yes Seth Sorenson?" she beckoned him forward with a steely tone.

"I'm sorry for what I've done and," Seth gulped and continued hastily. "What I might do, I didn't know what to do before but now I think I am much more responsible."

"All is forgiven," she replied while waving a dismissive hand, the richness of her tone was back and Seth was glad. He sat back down to look at Bracken.

"Bracken I-," he began but Bracken cut him off.

_No need to mention it_, Bracken said telepathically.

Seth took the coin from his pocket and said, _Thanks._

Kendra squeezed Bracken's hand. Bracken turned to her and said, "Seth's fine."

Kendra thought about the words, _Thank you so much! _Bracken squeezed her hand.

"You're welcome."

**Grandpa dipped the wand into the bottle and raised it to his lips. As he blew gently, several bubbles streamed from the plastic circle. The bubbles floated across the porch. "You never know what will fascinate them," he said. "But bubbles usually do the trick." Grandpa sat in a large wicker rocker. Kendra, Seth, and Dale sat nearby. The setting sun streaked the horizon with red and purple. "I try not to bring unnecessary technology onto the property," he continued, dipping the wand again. "I just can't resist with bubbles." He blew, and more bubbles took shape. **

**A fairy, glowing softly in the fading light, approached one of the bubbles. After considering it for a moment, she touched it, and the bubble turned bright green. Another touch and it was an inky blue. Another and it was gold. Grandpa kept the bubbles coming, and more fairies came to the porch. Soon all the bubbles were changing colors. The hues became more luminous as the fairies competed against one another. Bubbles ruptured with flashes of light. **

**One fairy gathered bubbles until she had assembled a bouquet that resembled a bunch of multicolored grapes. Another fairy entered a bubble and inflated it from the inside until it tripled in size and burst with a violet flash. A bubble near Kendra appeared to be full of winking fireflies. One near Grandpa turned to ice, fell to the porch, and shattered. The fairies flocked near Grandpa, eager for the next bubbles. He kept them coming, and the fairies continued to display their creativity. They filled bubbles with shimmering mist. They linked them in chains. They transformed them into balls of fire. The surface of one reflected like a mirror. Another took on the shape of a pyramid. Another crackled with electricity. When Grandpa put the bubble solution away, the fairies gradually dispersed. The dwindling sunset was almost gone. A few fairies played among the chimes, making soft music.**

"That must've been a lovely display," Vanessa said. Warren inched closer towards her.

"I hope we could've seen it together," Warren whispered.

No one noticed except Bracken who looked at them. Vanessa sighed and inched closer.

**"Unbeknownst to most of the family," Grandpa said, "a few of your cousins have visited me here. None of them came close to figuring out what is really going on." **

**"Didn't you give them clues?" Kendra asked. **

**"No more or less than I gave you. They were not of the proper mind-set." **

**"Was it Erin?" Seth asked. "She's a goober."**

"Last I heard," Scott began. "She went to a psychologist after her visit here."

Seth smirked. "Serves her right."

"She's older than us remember?" Kendra scolded.

"So what?" Seth said indifferently.

**"You be kind," Grandpa scolded. "What I want to say is that I admire how you children have taken all of this in stride. You have adapted impressively to this unusual place."**

**"Lena said we could have a party with the goat people," Seth said. **

**"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. Why was she talking about satyrs?" **

**"We found hoof prints in the kitchen," Kendra said. **

**"Things got a bit out of hand last night," Grandpa admitted. "Trust me, Seth, consorting with satyrs is the last thing a boy your age needs." **

**"Then why did you do it?" Seth asked. **

**"A visit from a fairy broker is a significant event, and carries certain expectations. I'll concede that the merriment borders on foolishness." **

**"Can I try blowing bubbles?" Seth asked. **

"Seth was so bored that time that all he ever wanted was to do something," Dale said.

"I wasn't," Seth said. "I just thought I might be able to take one of the fire bubbles."

"Yeah, right." Kendra scoffed. "Without burning yourself?"

**"Another night. I'm planning a special excursion for you tomorrow. In the afternoon I need to visit the granary, and I mean to take you with me, let you see more of the property." **

**"Will we get to see something besides fairies?" Seth asked. **

**"Probably."**

**"I'm glad," Kendra said. "I want to see everything you're willing to show us." **

**"All in due time, my dear."**

**From her breathing, Seth was pretty sure Kendra was asleep. He sat up slowly. She did not move. He coughed weakly. She did not twitch. He eased out of bed and crossed the attic floor to his dresser. Quietly he opened the third drawer down. There she was. Twig, grass, pebble, flower petals, mirror, and all. In the dark room, her inherent glimmer illuminated the entire drawer. Her tiny hands were splayed against the wall of the jar, and she looked up at him desperately. She chirped something in a twittering language, motioning for him to open the lid. Seth glanced over his shoulder. Kendra had not budged. **

**"Goodnight, little fairy," he whispered. "Don't worry. I'll feed you some milk in the morning." He began shutting the drawer. **

"What's going to happen to the fairy?" Raxtus asked.

"Probably gonna become fallen," Newel mumbled darkly.

"Fallen?"

"Just listen pal."

Seth groaned and covered his face with his hands.

_Seth_, Bracken soothed. _It's alright, Mother has forgiven you._

Seth absently took the coin from his pocket and thought, _I'm such an idiot._

_Seth don't be_, he soothed. _Your sister is worried._

_Tell her I'm alright._

_I already did._

_I didn't want anyone to know about this._

_You'll be fine, we're here for you._

**The panicked fairy redoubled her frantic protestations. It looked like she was about to cry, which made Seth pause. Maybe he would let her go tomorrow. **

**"It's okay, little fairy," he said gently. "Go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning. "**

**She clasped her hands together and shook them in a pleading motion, begging with her eyes. She was so pretty, that fiery red hair against her creamy skin. The perfect pet. Way better than a hen. What chicken could set bubbles on fire? **

Ruth stiffened. Stan looked nervous he really was supposed to make it up for her.

**Closing the drawer, he returned to his bed. **

A/N: Thank you for reading this. I will definitely know if you didn't because I definitely won't continue writing this if not at least 3 people review, please. Also if you wanted to read the first part of this story which is all thanks to 1238904756's efforts just copy this and paste this link on the search bar:  s/8109871/1/Fablehaven-reads-Fablehaven. See ya round!


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 8: RETALIATION

A/N: Hey guys thanks for the reviews! Thanks so much for the first three: Greninja, Gueeest and MeTheAwesome. Well, I'm not really sure if you're the first three but it says so on my laptop. Just to answer the questions I'm gonna answer them here. Yes, I am gonna write the whole book series if people keep on supporting. I think there might be another pairing but I'm not telling. Also I will be referring to Stan and Ruth as Grandpa and Grandma for most of the time from now on. Thanks again 1238904756! Sorry for dragging you here for so long but well, read on!

-_PREVIOUSLY_-

_Ruth stiffened. Stan looked nervous, he really was supposed to make it up for her._

_**Closing the drawer, he returned to his bed. **_

-_SUBSEQUENTLY_-

Doren looked up from reading the book and gave it to Hank. "I think we're getting close Newel."

"You betcha," Newel replied with a knowing wink.

"Well then," Stan stood up, rubbing his hands in anticipation. "Let's get to the main house shall we?"

"No, thank you Stan. We won't all fit in the main house. Some of us should eat at the manor." Gloria offered.

"Well, that does makes sense." Ruth said. "Hugo, fetch the cart."

Hugo stood up with a few rocks cascading down from his shoulders. He returned in less than a minute with a cart, Seth had never seen before. It was blue with hand railings and a canopy to shield passengers from sunlight. There was also a table with chairs arranged in the middle.

"Awesome!" Seth shouted, eyes wild with delight. "How come we never used it before?"

"That's because I just finished making it," Dale said with a hint of pride.

"Let's go," Marla took the outstretched hand of Scott. "Fablehaven is so full of surprises!""

The Sorensons scrambled to get into the cart and found seats for themselves. Bracken, the Fairy Queen, their closest friends from the Knights of the Dawn and the satyrs, Newel and Doren, followed. The other half of the party followed the Larsens on a trail leading to the Manor. Before Hugo could start walking in big loping strides the Fairy Shine shimmered and soon Gilgarol, the captain of the astrids, was hovering at the side of the cart.

_My Queen_, he began and bowed in mid-air and the Fairy Queen motioned for him to continue. _The Fairy King needs your help. He is having trouble finding his medicine and he is not sure where it was put. The royal healers have left to find new magical herbs to help him recuperate and we cannot contact them._

_Very well_, the Queen acquiesced. "I'm sorry but I have to go there are important things to do at the Fairy Kingdom that needs my help." She hopped off and flew without wings then she looked back. _Take care, Bracken._

Without his third horn Bracken could not hear the thoughts of his mom but he felt what he thought she was thinking. _Thanks mom_, he thought. The Fairy Queen smiled and followed Gilgarol to the Fairy Shrine and disappeared with another blinding flash.

Kendra looked at Bracken. She had overheard the conversation between the Fairy Queen and Gilgarol. She also heard what the Fairy Queen told Bracken but she wasn't able to hear what Bracken replied, she just didn't have that ability. Soon after they left Seth pounded his fists on the table wailing like a baby to leave. Hugo took it as a sign to leave and off they stopped in front of the front porch. Warren helped Vanessa down, which Vanessa gladly accepted with a smile playing on her lips.

"Lovebirds," Seth muttered under his breath. "They just can't get enough."

Kendra and Bracken shrugged. Soon everyone was in either the dining room or the living room. The satyrs were also allowed inside which made Seth think about a party he wanted to have for so long. Midsummer Eve was just yesterday and the night before Seth actually did not look through the window for fear that his parents might get kidnapped this time. So there were a lot of pumpkin pies which Marla and Ruth made. Though they're not as good as Lena's, Kendra thought. Her eyes stung for a reason she could not comprehend. Then she remembered why. A stream of tears escaped her eyes and Kendra saw through her own blurred vision that Seth too was crying. It didn't last long. She blinked back the tears for a few seconds. Bracken squeezed her hand.

_ It's nothing Bracken_, she thought and she thought her voice sounded hurt because Bracken's brows were scrunched in the middle of his forehead.

"I hope so," he sighed. No one actually saw Kendra nor Seth cry and the two quickly forgot why they were sad when lunch started. It all started with a formal prayer lead by Tanu. Everyone took a whole pie from the huge pyramid and a fork on the dining table and took seats but the Knights of the Dawn, the satyrs and a few others went to the living room. Vanessa wasn't even through her first slice when Warren yelped from the living room.

"The grandfather clock has taken a hit Stan!" Warren called out.

Vanessa set down her pie then formally excused herself and dashed towards the living room. Before she could enter the room though, a pie sent her careening backward.

"Vanessa?" Warren gasped.

"Warren?" Vanessa asked accusingly while the pie fell from her face and plopped on the floor, spraying her jeans with some pie filling. "Why?"

"I'm sorry Vanessa," he said, shoulders slumping and face looking down. Vanessa went back to the table, obtained a fresh pie and threw it from the edge of the living room towards Warren.

Warren looked up just in time to get a full pumpkin pie make-over. When the pie fell from his face Vanessa was smiling. Apparently Warren's good looks and genuine apology got the better of her. "You're it!" Vanessa laughed. Warren blinked a few times before it hit him. He took the pie Doren was about to throw at him before Vanessa entered and threw it at Vanessa who ducked just in time.

"What in the-!" Scott shouted before a pie cut him off in mid-sentence.

Vanessa, Warren, the satyrs and the Knights of the Dawn cringed. When the pie fell from his face Scott's angry face was revealed. He stomped towards Vanessa and was about to reprimand her for encouraging Warren when Seth stood and threw a slice at his father.

Seth gulped realizing his mistake. Scott turned around revealing a smile.

"You asked for it!" he laughed, took a pie from the table and flung it towards Seth who caught it with his stomach. Soon everyone was playing along, even Elise and Mara. Everyone got a few bites when pie hit them squarely in the face. Soon the two rooms smelled of pie and in some places it was five-inches deep of filling.

Everyone helped clean out the mess even though if Scott insisted he should do it all. Even the satyrs decided to help because Vanessa asked them to. After that everyone left and headed to the pool with pie caking on their clothes. They all jumped in without even bothering to change soon they were all laughing and spraying orange-colored and pumpkin-smelling water at each other's faces. They didn't even realize that the Larsens and their party have just arrived.

"What is that smell?" Raxtus said hovering above them by a few feet.

Grandpa looked up from the water. "Why, Raxtus." he was fond of the dragon as well. "That's just pumpkin pie. Everyone get out of the water, we'll have a second rinsing soon enough."

Everyone in the pool clambered out, clothes dripping wet. Dale manually drained the pool and started cleaning it. "Just continue reading the story," he said while sweeping the pool's floor with a hard broom. "I think I can hear if you stay close."

"Very well," Hank said taking the book from inside his jacket.

"Cool!" Seth's eyes widened in amazement. "A magician trick!"

**Seth wiped sleep from the corner of his eye and stared at the ceiling for a moment. Rolling over, he saw that Kendra was not in her bed. Daylight streamed through the window. He stretched, arching his back with a groan. The mattress felt inviting. **

"Why does this always happen at the beginning of every chapter!?" Newel asked frustrated. "It's killing me!"

"You can always help Dale clean the pool," the Sphinx said, right now an unknown Knight of the Dawn and Trask was watching him.

"Never mind."

**Maybe he could get up later. No, he wanted to check on the fairy. He hoped some sleep had calmed her. Kicking off the tangled covers, Seth hurried over to the dresser. Pulling it open, he gasped. The fairy was gone. In her place was a hairy tarantula with striped legs and shiny black eyes. Had it eaten her? **

"Seth, it couldn't have unless you had a tarantula in there and by some miracle the fairy didn't turn into a-," Doren lectured but he was cut off when Seth elbowed him.

"They don't know the story!" he chided in a hushed tone.

**He checked the lid. It was still on tight. Then it registered that he had not consumed any milk yet. This could be the other form the fairy appeared in. He would have expected a dragonfly, but supposed a tarantula was possible. He also noticed that the mirror in the jar was broken. Had she smashed it with the pebble? It seemed like a good way to cut herself. "No roughhousing," he scolded. "I'll be right back."**

**A round loaf of bread sat on the table, a mottled mixture of white, black, brown, and orange. While Lena sliced it, Kendra took another sip of hot chocolate. **

"Oh great," Kendra sobbed and placed her head on Bracken's shoulder. "It's just one memory after the other."

"Kendra," he soothed in his charismatic voice. "It's all in the past whatever happened you can't do anything about it anymore."

"I can use the chronometer."

"Kendra, Agad has hidden them all already."

"Okay," she sniffled and laid her head against his shoulder.

**"Considering all the ingredients I left out, I thought they might make a jumble pie," Lena said. "But calico loaves are equally delicious. Try a piece." She handed Kendra a slice. **

**"They did a great job on the pot," Kendra said. "And the table looks perfect." **

**"Better than before," Lena agreed. "I like the new beveling. Brownies know their business." **

**Kendra inspected the slice of bread. The strange coloring continued all the way through, not just on the crust. She took a bite. Cinnamon and sugar dominated the flavoring. Eagerly she took another. It tasted like blackberry jam. The next tasted like chocolate with a hint of peanut butter. The following bite seemed saturated with vanilla pudding. "It has so many flavors!" **

"Awesome!" Seth said. "How come you didn't tell me to have some?"

"You were busy," Kendra answered.

"What?"

**"And they never clash like they should," Lena said, taking a bite herself. **

**Feet bare, hair sticking up, Seth trotted into the room. "Good morning," he said. "Having breakfast?" **

**"You have to try this calico bread," Kendra said. **

**"In a minute," he replied. **

"Told you so," Kendra said.

**"Can I have a cup of hot chocolate?" Lena filled a mug. "Thank you," he said as she handed it to him. "I'll be right back. I forgot something upstairs." He hurried off, drinking from the mug. **

**"He's so weird," Kendra said, taking a bite of what now tasted like banana nut bread.**

**"Up to some mischief, if you ask me," Lena replied.**

"Lena's smart you know," Grandpa commented soberly.

"It's a shame," Grandma replied.

**Seth set the mug on the dresser. Taking a calming breath, he silently prayed that the tarantula would be gone and the fairy would be there. He slid the drawer open. A hideous little creature glared up from inside the jar. Baring pointy teeth, it hissed at him. Covered in brown, leathery skin, it stood taller than his middle finger. It was bald, with tattered ears, a narrow chest, a pot belly, and shriveled, spindly limbs. The lips were froglike, the eyes a glossy black, the nose a pair of slits above the mouth.**

"Jeez!" the dragon roared. "It was ugly!" he said his face a contortion of disgust.

Everyone laughed even Kendra, Grandpa and Grandma**.**

**"What did you do to the fairy?" Seth asked. The ugly creature hissed again, turning around. It had a pair of nubs above the bony shoulder blades. The nubs wiggled like the remnants of amputated wings. **

**"Oh no! What happened to you?" The creature stuck out a long black tongue and slapped the glass with calloused hands. It jabbered something in a foul, raspy language. What had happened? Why had the beautiful fairy mutated into a revolting little devil?**

"Even in the most dire of situations," Scott laughed. "Seth's mind still has funny questions running through his head."

Seth frowned then smiled. "I'll take it as a compliment!"

**Maybe some milk would help. Seth snatched the jar from the drawer, grabbed the mug from the dresser, and bolted down the stairs from the attic to the hall. He dashed into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. The mug was still a third full. Holding the jar over the sink, he poured some of the hot chocolate onto the lid. Most ran down the side of the jar, but a little dripped through the holes in the top. One drop plopped on the creature's shoulder. It angrily motioned for Seth to unscrew the lid, and then pointed at the cup. Apparently it wanted to drink straight from the mug. **

"Imps are such disgusting little creatures," a fairy close by chirped. "They're so stupid."

"At least they're not as vain as you," Kendra chuckled under her breath. "Or as stupid either."

**Seth examined the room. The window was shut, the door locked. He wadded a towel against the space at the bottom of the door. Inside the jar, the creature made pleading motions and pantomimed drinking from a cup. Seth unscrewed the lid. With a powerful leap, the creature jumped out, landing on the counter. Crouching, snarling, it glared at Seth.**

"Seth," Raxtus warned. "Watch out!" The dragon was so caught up in the story that he didn't notice that there was actually nothing to fret about. "Oh," he apologized sheepishly. "Sorry."

**"I'm sorry your wings fell off," he said. "This might help." He held the mug out toward the creature, wondering if it would sip the flavored milk or just climb inside the cup. Instead, it snapped at him, barely missing his finger. Seth jerked his hand away, sloshing hot chocolate onto the counter. Hissing, the agile creature dropped to the floor, raced over to the bathtub, and vaulted inside. Before Seth could react, the creature squirmed down the drain. A final garbled burst of complaints issued from the dark hole, and then the creature was gone.**

**Seth poured the remnants of the hot chocolate into the drain in case it could be of use to the deformed fairy. **

"It's not deformed," the fairy muttered. No one noticed it, not even Bracken.

**He looked back at the jar, empty now except for a few wilting flower petals. He was not sure what he had done wrong, but he doubted Maddox would be very proud. **

**Later that morning, Seth sat in the tree house trying to find puzzle pieces that fit together. Now that the perimeter was finished, adding pieces was a challenge. They all looked the same. He had avoided Kendra all morning. He did not feel like talking to anybody. He could not get over how foul the fairy had become. He was not sure what he had done, but he knew it was somehow his fault, some accidental consequence of catching the fairy. **

"What was that thing called again?" Newel asked.

"Passive magic?" Doren offered.

"Doesn't sound like it," Newel poked his head. "Nah, forget it."

**That was why she had been so frightened the night before. She knew he had doomed her to change into an ugly little monster. The puzzle pieces started to vibrate. Soon the whole tree house was trembling. Were they having an earthquake? He had never been in an earthquake before. Seth ran to the window. Fairies hovered everywhere, gathered in the air all around the tree house. Their arms were raised, and they seemed to be chanting.**

"Fairy spells," Hugo rumbled. "Not good."

"Yup," Warren seconded. "Definitely not good."

**One of the fairies pointed at Seth. Several glided closer to the window. One held her palm out in his direction; with a flash of light, the windowpane shattered. Seth jumped away from the window as several fairies flew in. He ran to the hatch, but the tree house lurched so violently that he fell to the floor. The shaking was becoming intense. The floor was no longer level. A chair tipped over. The door to the hatch had slammed shut. He crawled toward it. Something hot stung the back of his neck. Multicolored lights began flashing. Seth grabbed the door to the hatch, but it would not open. He tugged hard. Something seared the back of his hand. Panicked, he returned to the window, struggling to keep his balance as the floor quaked beneath him. The flock of fairies continued to chant. He could hear their little voices. With a loud crack, the tree house suddenly tilted sideways. The view out the window switched from the fairies to the rapidly approaching ground. Seth experienced a momentary sensation of weightlessness. Every object in the tree house was floating as everything plummeted together. Puzzle pieces filled the air. And then the tree house imploded.**

"Hmph," the fairy scoffed "Serves him right I say!"

"And I thought fairies were kind," Bracken sighed.

Kendra thought Bracken had noticed the fairy but Bracken didn't he was just commenting on the story.

**Kendra smeared sun block across her arms, disliking the greasy feel of the lotion against her skin. **

"Oh great," Seth muttered while flinging his arms up. "I'm in great danger and all she cares about is her tan!?"

Kendra blushed and looked away. Bracken placed an arm on her shoulder and started laughing with the others.

**She was tanner than when she had first arrived, but the sun was hot today, and she did not want to take any chances. Her shadow was a small puddle at her feet. It was almost noon. Lunch was not far off, and then Grandpa Sorenson would take them to the granary. Kendra quietly hoped she would see a unicorn. **

Seth grinned. "Any specific unicorns in mind Kendra?"

Bracken and Kendra both blushed. "You do know that I haven't met Bracken yet?" she countered.

"Oh I don't know," he whipped his long bangs out of his face.

"Ugh!" Kendra groaned. "I so hate when you do that!"

"Bracken has longer bangs than me!" he defended.

"Guys," Bracken held out two hands. "Stop it." Bracken almost laughed while scolding them, no matter how much he doesn't like Kendra being uncomfortable when it was Seth he always felt like laughing no matter how hard he tried not to. It was sort of Seth's upper hand since they both consider each other as best friends.

**Suddenly she heard a tremendous crash from the corner of the yard. Then she heard Seth screaming. What could have made such a huge noise? She did not have to run far in order to see the broken pile of rubble at the base of the tree. Seth was sprinting toward her. His shirt was torn. He had blood on his face. Scores of fairies appeared to be in pursuit. Her initial thought was to make a joke about the fairies wanting revenge for him trying to catch them, until she realized it was probably true. Had the fairies thrown down the tree house? **

**"They're after me!" he yelled. **

**"Jump in the pool!" Kendra called. **

"If he hadn't jumped in the pool he wouldn't have turned into a walrus," the fairy held her chin up.

Kendra was annoyed the fairy still hadn't left and it wasn't noticed by Bracken either.

**Seth swerved in the direction of the pool and began pulling off his shirt. The ominous cloud of fairies had no trouble keeping up with him. They hurled sparkling streams of glitter. Casting his shirt aside, Seth sprang into the water. **

**"The fairies are after Seth!" Kendra cried, watching in horrified dismay. The fairies hovered over the pool. After a few moments Seth surfaced. In flawless synchronization, the cloud of fairies swooped, diving toward him. He yelled as blazing rays of light began flaring around him, and ducked underwater again. The fairies plunged in after him. He came to the surface gasping. The water churned. Seth floundered at the center of an underwater pyrotechnics display. Kendra rushed to the edge of the pool. **

**"Help!" he cried, raising a hand out of the water. The fingers were fused together like a flipper. Kendra screamed.**

"Oh no!" Raxtus bit into his claws. "No! No! No!"

"Raxtus?" everyone looked around to see him at the back, they laughed.

"I can't help it," he whined. "It's scary."

**"They're attacking Seth! Help! Somebody! They're attacking Seth!" He flailed toward the side of the pool. The roiling mass of fairies converged on Seth again, hauling him to the bottom of the pool amid eerie bursts of light. Kendra ran and seized the pool skimmer, swinging it at the relentless horde of fairies, never touching any of them no matter how dense the swarm appeared. **

**Seth resurfaced at the edge of the pool and threw his arms up onto the flagstones, trying to drag himself out of the water. Kendra stooped to assist him but shrieked instead. One arm was broad, flat, and rubbery. No elbow, no hand. A flipper coated in human skin. The other was long and boneless, a fleshy tentacle with limp fingers at the end. She looked at his face. Long tusks curved down from a wide, lipless mouth. Patches of hair were missing. His eyes were glazed with terror. The frenzied fairies mobbed him again, and he lost his grip on the side, vanishing in another pulsing succession of colored flashes. Steam sizzled up from the seething water.**

"Gosh," Bracken gulped and pulled at his polo shirt's collar. "Never thought they could get so worked up."

"Even Kendra," Scott remarked. "In the scariest of situations can't help but observe her surroundings. It's a wonder she didn't faint from describing something so horrible."

"You wouldn't say that if you got turned into it!" Seth screamed.

**"What is the meaning of this?" Grandpa Sorenson hollered, hustling to the edge of the pool. Lena followed behind him. The water in the pool flickered a few more times. Many of the fairies whizzed away. A few flew over to Grandpa. One fairy in particular chirped angrily. She had short blue hair and silvery wings. **

"Shiara," Seth and Kendra said at the same time.

"Shiara! Shiara! Shiara!" the fairy screamed and tugged at her hair. "Is she the only fairy that people know about?"

"Juniper?" a fairy popped out behind her. Juniper turned around and looked aghast at the fairy with blue hair and silver wings.

**"He did what?" Grandpa said. An unrecognizable monstrosity heaved itself out of the water and lay panting on the flagstones. **

"Omigod!" Raxtus shrieked. "Was that Seth!? He looks so different now."

**The deformed creature had no clothes. Lena crouched beside him, placing a hand on his side. **

Kendra hadn't actually paid attention to what Juniper looked like. At first glance it looked as if though she had no wings but she looked closer and she realized that Juniper's wings were red glittering dragonfly wings. Her clothes were made of fresh green leaves. Her hair was red and her eyes were juniper green. Overall she looked cute with her facial attributes and familiar.

**"He had no idea that would happen," Grandpa complained. "It was innocent!"**

"Of course he knew!" she chirped angrily.

**The fairy twittered her disapproval. Kendra gaped at the freakish form of her brother. Most of his hair had fallen out, revealing a lumpy scalp stippled with moles. His face was broader and flatter, with sunken eyes and tusks the size of bananas protruding from his mouth. A misshapen hump swelled high above his shoulders. On his back below the hump, four blowholes puckered for air. His legs had united into a single crude tail. He slapped the ground with his flipper arm. The tentacle writhed like a snake. **

**"An unlucky coincidence," Grandpa said consolingly. "Most unfortunate. Can't you have mercy on the boy?" **

"Juniper," Shiara probed. "What are you doing here?"

**The fairy chirped vehemently. **

"Do you have to ask?" Juniper said while rolling her eyes.

**"I'm sorry you feel that way. I feel terrible about what happened. I assure you the atrocity was unintentional."**

"I hate that," Juniper turned and pointed an outstretched hand towards Seth. "Boy?"

**After a final outburst of squealing sounds, the fairy zoomed away. **

"Are you asking me?" Shiara asked sarcastically and folded her arms.

**"Are you okay?" Kendra said, squatting beside Seth. **

"He," she began then looked at Seth and her composure crumbled again. "T-t-turned me into an imp."

Kendra gasped.

**He made a garbled moan, then a second, more distressed complaint that sounded like a donkey gargling mouthwash. **

**"Hush, Seth," Grandpa said. "You've lost the ability of speech."**

"Then why do you hesitate?" Shiara asked again, she was enjoying this.

**"I'll fetch Dale," Lena said, hurrying off.**

"Because he's," she hesitated. "Cute."

**"What have they done to him?" Kendra asked. **

By this time Bracken noticed Shiara but not Juniper. "Shiara who are you talking to?"

"No one at all, my liege," Shiara bowed and whisked Juniper off to a far corner.

**"An act of vengeance," Grandpa said grimly. **

**"For trying to catch fairies?" **

**"For succeeding." **

**"He caught one?" **

**"He did." **

**"So they turned him into a deformed walrus? I thought they couldn't use magic against us!" **

**"He used potent magic to transform the captured fairy into an imp, unwittingly opening the door for magical retribution."**

"Ah," Newel slammed his fist into his palm. "Potent magic!"

"Well," Doren countered. "It is close to passive."

"No it isn't," Newel said through gritted teeth.

**"Seth doesn't know any magic!" **

**"I'm sure it was accidental," Grandpa said. "Can you understand me, Seth? Slap your flipper three times if you grasp what I am saying." **

**The flipper flapped against the flagstones three times. **

**"It was very foolish to catch a fairy, Seth," Grandpa said. "I warned you they were unsafe. But I share some of the blame. I'm sure you were inspired by Maddox and wanted to begin a career as a fairy broker." **

**Seth nodded awkwardly, his entire bloated torso bobbing up and down.**

"I'm such an idiot," Seth mumbled placing his face on his hands.

_Seth, stop that_, Bracken soothed.

Seth fumbled with the coin. _Thanks bro but it just won't help unless I get to give an apology that the fairy would accept kindly_.

_Tell you what I saw Shiara talking to no one_, Bracken recalled.

_Impossible_, Seth turned to look at him with a dumbfounded face. _Shiara's not stupid._

_I never said she was_, Bracken countered. _It just says something is going on. Tell you more later._

**"I should have specifically forbidden it. I forget how curious and daring children can be. And how resourceful. I would never have supposed you were capable of actually trapping one." **

**"What magic did he use?" Kendra asked, on the verge of hysterics.**

"If Seth knew magic," Newel snickered. "He wouldn't have been a walrus!"

Seth looked at him with narrowed eyes then looked at Hank, reading the story.

**"If a captured fairy is kept indoors from sunset to sunrise, it changes into an imp."**

**"What's an imp?" **

**"A fallen fairy. Nasty little creatures. Imps despise themselves as much as fairies adore themselves. Just as fairies are drawn to beauty, imps are drawn to ugliness." **

**"Their personalities change so quickly?" **

**"Their personalities remain the same," Grandpa said. **

**"Shallow and self-absorbed. The change in appearance reveals the tragic side of that mind-set. Vanity curdles into misery. They become spiteful and jealous, wallowing in wretchedness."**

**"What about the fairies Maddox caught? Why don't they change?" **

**"He avoids leaving the cages indoors overnight. His captured fairies spend at least part of every night outdoors." **

**"Just putting the container outside prevents them from becoming imps?" **

**"Sometimes powerful magic is accomplished by simple means." **

**"Why did the other fairies attack Seth? Why would they care, if they're so selfish?"**

**"They care because they are selfish. Each fairy worries she could be next. I am told Seth even left a mirror with the fairy, so she could behold herself after she fell. The fairies considered that act particularly cruel." Grandpa answered every question with great calm, no matter how accusingly or angrily Kendra asked it. His peaceful demeanor was helping her calm down a bit.**

"Of course," Scott added. "Even when I jumped down the tree house, he never changed."

"I did take you to the hospital," Grandpa sighed.

**"I'm sure it was an accident," she said. **

**Seth nodded vigorously, blubber jiggling. **

**"I suspect no malice. It was an unfortunate mishap. But the fairies have little interest in his motives. They were within their rights to exact retribution." **

**"You can switch him back."**

**"Restoring Seth to his original form is well beyond my abilities." **

**Seth let out a long, mournful bellow. Kendra patted his hump. "We have to do something!"**

"I can't believe I sounded like that!" Seth said with a little disgust and joy. Which one was more potent, Kendra wasn't sure.

**"Yes," Grandpa said. He placed his hands over his eyes and then dragged them down his face. "This would be very complicated to explain to your parents." **

**"Who can fix him? Maddox?" **

**"Maddox is no magician. Besides, he is long gone. Though I hesitate, I can think of only one person who might be able to undo the enchantments placed on your brother."**

Newel and Doren stood up and raised their hands frantically. "We know! We know!"

Seth who was sitting next to them stood up as well and banged both of his fists on each of their heads. "Well shut up, coz they don't know!"

Newel and Doren crumpled to the ground with a 3-inch diameter bruise on their heads.

**"Who?" **

**"Seth has met her." **

**"The witch?" Grandpa nodded. **

**"Under the circumstances, our only hope is Muriel Taggert."**

**The wheelbarrow swayed as it bumped over a root. Dale managed to steady it. Seth groaned. He was naked except for a white towel wrapped around his middle.**

Dale climbed out of the pool, hard broom in one hand. "Alright now I just need to fill it up with water then we can all dive in again."

"Thanks Dale," Warren patted his brother on the back. "Here let me help."

The two brothers walked off to get buckets of water to fill the pool.

**"Sorry, Seth," Dale said. "This is a tricky path." **

**"Are we almost there?" Kendra asked. **

**"Not much farther," Grandpa replied. **

**They walked single file, Grandpa in the lead, followed by Dale pushing the wheelbarrow, and then Kendra in the rear. What had begun as a nearly indiscernible trail near the barn had broadened into a well-trodden path. Later they branched off onto a smaller track. They had crossed no new paths since then. **

**"The woods seem so quiet," Kendra said. **

**"They are quietest when you stay on the paths," Grandpa said.**

"Well of course," Newel harrumphed. "It's quiet because we weren't playing around that day, right Doren?"

"You know what?" Doren asked. "Sometimes I don't get you."

**"It seems too quiet." **

**"There is a tension in the air. Your brother committed a serious offense. The fall of a fairy is a woeful tragedy. The retribution of the fairies was equally brutal. Eager eyes await to see if the conflict will escalate." **

**"It won't, right?" **

**"I hope not. If Muriel cures your brother, the fairies could interpret it as an insult."**

**"Would they attack him again?" **

**"Probably not. At least not directly. The punishment has been administered." **

**"Can we heal the fairy?" **

**Grandpa shook his head. "No." **

**"Could the witch?" **

**"Seth was altered by magic imposed upon him. But the potential to fall and become an imp is a fundamental aspect of being a fairy. She transformed in accordance to a law that has existed as long as fairies have had wings. Muriel might be able to undo the enchantments forced upon Seth. Reversing the fall of a fairy would be far beyond her capacity." **

**"Poor fairy."**

"Fairies are vain creatures," Vanessa observed. "They are much more attracted to looks than lectoblixes."

"You're one to talk," Elise rolled her eyes. She still hasn't trusted Vanessa much.

Vanessa stood up maybe to administer a solid beating, even though Vanessa looked beautiful she's a tough chic.

"Girls stop that," Ruth and Gloria admonished. Vanessa sat back down and sighed.

"I miss Warren," she mumbled under her breath.

**They reached a fork in the path. Grandpa turned left. "Almost there," he said. "Keep silent as we converse with her." **

**Kendra stared at the bushes and trees, expecting to find spiteful eyes glaring back at her. What creatures would come into view if all the greenery were removed? What would happen if she raced off the path? How long before some gruesome monster devoured her? **

**Grandpa stopped, pointing away into the trees. "Here we are." Kendra saw the leafy shack in the distance, off the path through the trees. **

**"Too much undergrowth for the wheelbarrow," Dale said, scooping Seth into his arms. Although Seth was much more blubbery, he had not increased in size. As they waded through the undergrowth, Dale carried him without much difficulty. The ivy-shrouded shack drew near. They walked around to the front. The filthy witch sat inside, her back against the tree stump, chewing on a knot in a bristly rope. A pair of imps sat on the tree stump. One was skinny, with prominent ribs and long, flat feet. The other was compact and plump. **

**"Hello, Muriel," Grandpa said. The imps sprang from the trunk and scurried out of sight. Muriel looked up, a slow grin revealing decayed teeth. **

**"Could that be Stan Sorenson?" She rubbed her eyes theatrically and squinted at him. **

"Oh, great!" Warren said as he plopped down on the ground next to Vanessa. "I guess me and Dale dropped into the theater district."

Vanessa smiled at him and Warren scooted closer and was about to hold her hand when Dale stopped the movement abruptly by talking.

"Alright the pool's full again!" he announced.

Warren groaned and gave his brother an annoyed look. His brother gave him an innocent grin.

"Alright, last one in is a rotten egg!" Seth ran towards and jumped in with a splash. Everyone else who still had pumpkin remnants followed, laughing.

**"No, I must be dreaming. Stan Sorenson said he would never visit me again!" **

**"I need your help," Grandpa said. **

**"And you brought company. I remember Dale. Who is this fine young lady?" **

**"My granddaughter." **

**"She got none of your looks, lucky for her. My name is Muriel, dear, pleased to meet you." **

**"I'm Kendra." **

**"Yes, of course. You have that lovely pink nightgown with the bow on the bosom." Kendra shot a look at Grandpa. How could this crazy witch know about her pajamas?**

Bracken stopped splashing water on Kendra's face. "You wear tho-?"

Kendra stopped him in mid-sentence. "My mom insisted I bring that."

"I think it looks good on you."

Kendra blushed then splashed water on his grinning face.

**"I know a thing or two," Muriel continued, tapping her temple. "Telescopes are for stars, dear, not for trees. "**

**"Pay her no heed," Grandpa said. "She wants to give you the impression that she has power to spy on you in your bedroom. Witches prey on fear. Her influence does not extend beyond the walls of this shack." **

**"Won't you step inside for some tea?" she offered. **

**"What news she has comes from imps," Grandpa continued. "And since imps are banned from the yard, her news came from a particular imp."**

**Muriel let out a shrieking laugh. The crazed cackle suited her haggard appearance much better than her speaking voice did. **

**"The imp saw your room, and heard conversations from wherever Seth stashed it," Grandpa concluded. "Nothing to fret about." **

**Muriel raised a finger in objection. "Nothing to fret about, you say?" **

**"Nothing the imp saw or heard could be harmful," Grandpa clarified. **

**"Except, perhaps, her own reflection," Muriel suggested. "Who is our final visitor? This poor, lumpy abomination? Could it be?" She clapped her hands and giggled. "Did our stalwart adventurer have a mishap? Did his clever tongue finally betray him?"**

"I wish I could've killed her myself," Seth growled through gritted teeth.

**"You know what happened," Grandpa said. **

**"I do, I do," she cackled. "I knew he was insolent, but never suspected such cruelty! Lock him in a shed, I say. For the sake of the fairies. Lock him up tight." **

**"Can you restore him?" Grandpa asked. **

**"Restore him?" the witch exclaimed. "After what he did?"**

**"It was an accident, as you are aware." **

**"Why not ask me to rescue a killer from the noose? To spare a traitor from his shame?" **

**"Can you do it?" **

**"Shall I conjure up a medal for him to wear as well? A badge of honor for his crime?"**

**"Can you?" **

**Muriel dropped the act.**

"The worst actress since time," Warren chuckled then looked at Vanessa and continued in a hushed voice. "At least I got someone who isn't some actress. The real deal."

Vanessa heard this and flushed but not before she dived under water and dragged him by the feet to the bottom.

"Shark!" was all Warren got out before his head disappeared.

All Tanu could imagine was the two kissing underwater then he shivered.

**She regarded her visitors with a sly expression. "You know the price." **

**"I can't loosen a knot," Grandpa said. **

**Muriel tossed up her gnarled hands. "You know I need the energy from the knot for the spell," she said. "He has more than seventy separate hexes operating on him. You ought to untie seventy knots." **

**"What about -" **

**"No dickering. One knot and your beastly grandson will be restored to his original form. Without the knot, I would never be able to counter the enchantment. This is fairy magic. You knew the price before you came. No dickering." Grandpa sagged. **

**"Show me the rope." **

**"Lay the boy at my threshold." Dale placed Seth in front of the door. Standing in the doorway, Muriel held the rope out to Grandpa. There were two knots. Both had dried blood on them. One was still moist with saliva. **

"Ew," Mara said as she coughed on water. "That's rather disgusting."

**"Take your pick," she said. **

**"Of my own free will, I sever this knot," Grandpa said. Leaning forward, he blew gently on the higher of the two knots. It unraveled. The air trembled. On hot days, Kendra had seen the air shimmer in the distance. This was similar, but right in front of her. She felt pulsing vibrations, like she was standing in front of a powerful stereo speaker during a song with lots of bass. The ground seemed to be tipping. Muriel extended a hand over Seth. She mumbled an unintelligible incantation. His blubber rippled as if he were boiling inside. It looked like thousands of worms were under his skin, squirming to find a way out. Putrid vapor fumed up from his flesh. His fat appeared to be evaporating. His misshapen body convulsed. **

**Kendra extended her arms and swayed as the ground teetered even more. There was a burst of darkness, an anti-flash, and Kendra stumbled, barely catching herself. The odd sensation ended. The air cleared and balance returned. Seth sat up. He looked exactly like his old self. No tusks. No flippers. No blowholes. Just an eleven-year-old kid with a towel wrapped around his waist. He scrambled away from the shack and got to his feet.**

"Oh," Raxtus sighed as his paw passed his forehead as if he was wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I almost thought he was a goner."

"Raxtus," Seth began. "I'm right in front of you."

"Well," Raxtus dropped to the ground. "The story is realistic."

**"Satisfied?" Muriel asked. **

**"How do you feel, Seth?" Grandpa inquired. Seth patted his bare chest. **

**"I feel better." **

**Muriel grinned. "Thank you, little adventurer. You did me a great service today. I am indebted." **

**"You shouldn't have done it, Grandpa," Seth said. **

**"Had to be done," he said. **

**"We best be going." **

**"Stay a while," Muriel offered. **

**"No thanks," Grandpa said. **

**"Very well. Spurn my hospitality. Kendra, nice to meet you, may you find less happiness than you deserve. Dale, you are as mute as your brother, and nearly as pale. Seth, please have another mishap soon. Stan, you lack the wit of an orangutan, bless your soul. **

"Wasn't that what you got turned into?" Grandma whispered to Grandpa.

He didn't want to be reminded then decided this must be how Grandma will be able to get back at him. He sighed.

**Do not be strangers." **

**Kendra gave Seth socks, shoes, shorts, and a shirt. Once he put them on, they returned to the path. **

**"Can I ride in the wheelbarrow on the way back?" Seth asked. **

"He's always such a slacker," Marla apologized. "He can't even actually finish sweeping the whole house."

"Mom," Seth groaned. "Stop saying embarrassing things. You're ruining the picture of a hero."

"I'm sorry baby."

"Do you even remember what I told you?" he raised an eyebrow. Marla shrugged innocently.

**"You ought to push me," Dale grumbled. **

**"How did it feel being a walrus?" Kendra asked. **

**"Is that what I was?" **

**"A mutant humpbacked walrus with a deformed tail," she clarified. **

**"I wish we had a camera! It was weird breathing through my back. And it was hard to move. Nothing felt right." **

**"Might be safer not to converse so loudly," Grandpa said. **

**"I couldn't talk," Seth said more quietly. "I felt like I still knew how, but the words came out all tangled. My mouth and tongue were different." **

**"What about Muriel?" Kendra asked. "If she unties that last knot, will she be free?" **

**"She was originally bound by thirteen knots," Grandpa said. "She can loosen none on her own, though it doesn't seem to stop her from trying. But other mortals can undo the knots by asking a favor and blowing on them. Powerful magic holds the knot in place. When released, Muriel can channel that magic into granting the favor."**

"There was another demon held imprisoned the same way," Trask recalled. "If I remembered the report clearly."

Grandpa nodded. The Sphinx was no longer listening to the story, he was dozing off.

**"So if you ever need her help again..." **

**"I will look elsewhere," Grandpa said. "I never wanted her to get down to a single knot. Freeing her is not an option." **

**"I'm sorry I ended up helping her," Seth said. **

**"Did you learn anything from the ordeal?" Grandpa asked. **

**Seth lowered his head. "I feel really bad about the fairy. She didn't deserve what happened to her." Grandpa made no response, and Seth kept studying his shoes. "I shouldn't have messed around with magical creatures," he finally admitted. Grandpa placed a hand on his shoulder. **

**"I know you meant no harm. Around here, what you don't know can hurt you. And others. If you have learned to be more careful and compassionate in the future, and to show greater respect for the inhabitants of this preserve, then at least some good came of all this." **

**"I learned something too," Kendra said. "Humans and walruses should never mix."**

"A great moral lesson!" Newel guffawed.

"Ah," Hank said and stretched his back. "Now that chapter's finished, who wants to read next?" He placed the book on one of the chairs under the huge umbrellas scattered around the pool. "On second though why don't we rest for a while?" Everyone else seemed to agree. Hugo went off taking huge loping strides to continue his chores.

Shiara came back followed by Juniper. "Aw," Juniper complained. "We weren't able to catch the story."

"Be happy," Shiara soothed. "At least now you feel a little less tight."

"I never looked at him that way before," Juniper insisted. "Not even during the time when we saved him at the Forgotten Chapel."

Bracken noticed Shiara, again. _Seth_, he called. _It's happening again_.

This time, Seth kept his hand on the coin. _What?_

_She's talking to no one again._

_Seriously, dude?_

_I'm sure of it._

Seth looked at Shiara. Juniper noticed and ducked behind a rosebush.

"Get out of there!" Shiara called.

"He saw me," Juniper whined.

"They can't see you, remember?"

"Oh yeah."

A/N: The end of my second chapter. I hoped you liked it. Thanks so much for the support guys. I'm sorry for adding that fairy but well she's actually part of Fablehaven I didn't actually create her I just gave her a name and added a personality. I hope no one gets mad. I will also try not to add other characters. You can send your thoughts and ideas through PMs and reviews, I'll gladly accept them. Again just three reviews and I'll start writing the next chapter. Also if you wanted to read the first part of this story which is all thanks to 1238904756's efforts just copy this and paste this link on the search bar: s/8109871/1/Fablehaven-reads-Fablehaven. See ya round!


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 9: HUGO

A/N: Yo! You guys review so fast and it's really encouraging. I can't believe I got 3 reviews in less than a day coz you know in other stories it takes weeks or months! Well the first 3 reviews came from the same people, I guess and the new one came from NightShadeMoon. Well I'm going to answer your question here: I will start writing the next chapter as soon as I am able to get on the net and see my aforementioned number of reviews and publish it as soon as possible. Of course I won't leave other questions unanswered in the dark. Yes, Seth might or not get a few romances of his own this time. I'm sure you'd all like to know why Juniper is so and you'll know soon enough. I'll try to keep an eye out for those periods as well but don't blame me if I type so fast. To clarify I believe it's very clear which the real story is and which is not, they're separated by bold letters. I'll be referring to Hank and Gloria as Gramps and Gran from now on, mostly. We all have 1238904756 to thank as well! This is very long...

-_PREVIOUSLY_-

"_They can't see you, remember?"_

"_Oh yeah."_

-_SUBSEQUENTLY_-

The day had started out cloudy but as of now the clouds were dispersing to reveal the hot sun. As Juniper scrambled out from behind the bush a sun beam landed on her, she squinted her eyes and glowered.

"I guess it's getting a little too sunny for you," Shiara looked up at the sky as she approached her. "Better get back home now, Juniper."

Juniper clicked her tongue in disappointment. "I hate having to put up with this," she snarled and zipped away. Kendra and Bracken were observing and Bracken finally saw Juniper in the full light of the sun.

_Seth, Seth, Seth!_ Bracken called insistently. _I saw who she was talking to. Now I know where that other little voice came from at first I thought it was in my head._

Seth turned the coin in the palm of his hand. _Bracken_, he began. _We both know there was nothing there. And even if there were just stop talking for a bit, I think Kendra wants to read._

_Oh_, Bracken flushed. He had heard from Seth that Kendra liked reading plus he liked Kendra's voice.

_You're gonna like the next chapter, _he assured. _Probably. _Just then Kendra clambered out of the pool, grabbed a nearby towel and dried herself off. He walked over to where Hank was sitting on one of the foldable chairs. She grabbed the book from her grandfather's belly.

"I'm reading next Gramps," she said and Hank nodded.

"Looks like we have a reader," Hank announced and Kendra began reading in a clear voice.

**The triangular wooden board rested on Kendra's lap. She studied the pegs, planning her next jump. Beside her, Lena gently tilted back and forth on a rocker, watching the moon rise. From the porch, only a few fairies could be seen gliding around the garden. Fireflies twinkled among them in the silver moonlight.**

"Ooh," Raxtus cooed. "Fireflies. I've never heard of them before. Are they like dragons?"

"Uhm," Seth looked at him."No. They're insects."

"Sounded like dragons."

**"Not many fairies out tonight," Kendra said. **

**"It may be some time before the fairies return in force to our gardens," Lena said. **

**"Can't you explain everything to them?" Lena chuckled.**

**"They would listen to your grandfather before they would ever heed me."**

**"Weren't you sort of one of them?" **

**"That is the problem. Watch." Lena closed her eyes and began to sing softly. Her high, trilling voice gave life to a wistful melody. Several fairies darted over from the garden, hovering around her in a loose semicircle, interrupting the warbling tune with fervent chirping. Lena quit singing and said something in an unintelligible language. The fairies chirped back. Lena made a final remark, and the fairies flew away. **

A few fairies closed in to listen more to the story. Now they were interested. Shiara hovered near Kendra. She was most probably the only fairy that wasn't jealous or petty enough to stay away from her. Kendra patted her shoulder and she alighted on it. Bracken looked at Shiara and smiled. Shiara gushed and smiled back. A few overly jealous chirped angrily and flitted toward the roses.

**"What were they saying?" Kendra asked. **

**"They told me I should be ashamed to sing a naiadic tune," Lena replied. "They detest reminders that I was once a nymph, especially if those reminders imply that I am at peace with my decision." **

**"They acted pretty upset." **

**"Much of their time is spent mocking mortals. Any time one of us crosses over to mortality, it makes the others wonder what they might be missing. Especially if we appear content. They ridicule me mercilessly." **

**"You don't let it get to you?" **

**"Not really. They do know how to needle me. They tease me about growing old-my hair, my wrinkles. They ask how I will enjoy being buried in a box."**

"How can you talk about death so calmly?" Seth wondered.

"Because we always don't go walking straight to it and narrowly missing," Kendra replied. Shiara giggled. Seth frowned.

**Lena frowned, gazing thoughtfully in to the night. "I felt my age today when you called for help." **

**"What do you mean?" Kendra jumped a peg on the triangular wooden board. **

**"I tried to rush to your aid, but ended up sprawled on the kitchen floor. Your grandfather reached your side before I did, and he is no athlete." **

**"It wasn't your fault." **

**"In my youth I would have been there in a flash. I used to be handy in an emergency. Now I come hobbling to the rescue."**

Seth looked forlorn he missed Lena as well. "She was very helpful." Kendra herself was on the verge of tears and she was trying hard to fight it back.

**"You still get around great." Kendra was running out of moves. She had already stranded a peg. **

**Lena shook her head. "I would not last a minute on the trapeze or the tightrope. Once I played on them with facile agility. The curse of mortality. You spend the first portion of your life learning, growing stronger, more capable. And then, through no fault of your own, your body begins to fail. You regress. Strong limbs become feeble, keen senses grow dull, hardy constitutions deteriorate. Beauty withers. Organs quit. You remember yourself in your prime, and wonder where that person went. As your wisdom and experience are peaking, your traitorous body becomes a prison."**

Grandpa, Grandma, Gramps and Gran nodded their heads in unison.

**Kendra had no moves left on her perforated board. Three pegs remained. "I never thought of it that way." **

**Lena took the board from Kendra and began setting up the pegs. "In their youth, mortals behave more like nymphs. Adulthood seems impossibly distant, let alone the enfeeblement of old age. But ponderously, inevitably, it overtakes you. I find it a frustrating, humbling, infuriating experience." **

**"When we talked before, you said you would not change your decision," Kendra reminded her. **

**"True, given the opportunity, I would choose Patton every time." **

Kendra looked at Bracken who smiled, she blushed. Maybe just maybe, she'll get through on her decision to become an eternal with Agad.

"**And now that I have experienced mortality, I do not imagine I could be content with my former life. But the pleasures of mortality, the thrills of living, come with a price. Pain, illness, the decline of age, the loss of loved ones - those things I could do without." The pegs were set up. Lena began jumping them. "I am impressed by how glibly most mortals confront the debilitation of the body. Patton. Your grandparents. Many others. They just accept it. I have always feared aging. The inevitability of it haunts me. Ever since I abandoned the pond, the prospect of death has been a menacing shadow in the back of my mind." She jumped the final peg, leaving only one. Kendra had seen her do it before, but had not yet succeeded in copying her moves. **

**Lena sighed softly. "Because of my nature, I may have to endure old age for decades longer than regular human beings. The humiliating finale to the mortal condition." **

**"At least you're a peg-jumping genius," Kendra said. Lena smiled. **

**"The solace of my winter years." **

**"You can still paint, and cook, and do all sorts of things." **

**"I do not mean to complain. These are not problems to share with young minds." **

**"It's okay. You aren't scaring me. You're right, I can't really picture being grown up. Part of me wonders if high school will ever really happen. Sometimes I think maybe I'll die young." **

"Didn't we raise you kids properly?" Marla asked Kendra, sarcastically. Kendra opened her mouth to speak but got cut short.

"Nah," Scott bluffed. "Look at them now, saving the world from demons. Definitely the best kids ever." Kendra looked at them with a passive gaze and sighed.

**The door to the house opened, and Grandpa's head poked out. "Kendra, I need to have some words with you and Seth." **

**"Okay, Grandpa." **

**"Come to the study." **

**Lena stood, motioning for Kendra to hurry along. Kendra entered the house and followed Grandpa into the study. Seth was already seated in one of the oversized chairs, drumming his fingers on the armrest. Kendra claimed the other one while Grandpa settled in behind his desk. **

**"The day after tomorrow is June twenty-first," Grandpa said. "Do either of you know the significance of that date?" Kendra and Seth shared a glance. **

**"Your birthday?" Seth attempted.**

**"The summer solstice," Grandpa said. **

"You know those Greek dudes," Newel asked.

"And the Romans?" Doren added.

"Uhm," Newel scratched his chin. "Yeah, whatever. They made ceremonies on those days right?"

"If you want to give a lecture on mythology," Doren began. "Don't. The lecture is all around us." Newel attempted to push Doren back into the water which failed. Hugo came back into view, probably after doing some chore in the stables.

**"The longest day of the year. The night before is a holiday of riotous abandon for the whimsical creatures of Fablehaven. Four nights a year, the boundaries that define where different entities can venture dissolve. These nights of revelry are essential to maintaining the segregation that normally prevails here. On Midsummer Eve, the only limits to where any creature can roam and work mischief are the walls of this house. Unless invited, they cannot enter." **

**"Midsummer Eve is tomorrow night?" Seth said. **

**"I did not want to leave you time to fret over it. As long as you obey my instructions, the night will pass without incident. It will be loud, but you will be safe." **

**"What other days do they run wild?" Kendra asked. **

**"The winter solstice and the two equinoxes. Midsummer Eve tends to be the rowdiest of them all." **

**"Can we watch out the windows?" Seth asked eagerly.**

Seth floundered in the water. How can the guy who wrote this know every mistake he made during his first visit? He grabbed the flagstones and boosted himself out of the water. Only a few people were left in the pool including Bracken, Warren, Vanessa, Trask, Mara, Elise, Dale and a few fairies diving in and out of the water. The water no longer looked orange or smelled like pie.

**"No," Grandpa said. "Nor would you enjoy what you saw. On the festival nights, nightmares take shape and prowl the yard. Ancient entities of supreme evil patrol the darkness in search of prey. You will be in bed at sundown. You will wear earplugs. And you will not arise until sunrise dispels the horrors of the night." **

**"Should we sleep in your room?" Kendra asked. **

**"The attic playroom is the safest place in the house. Extra protections have been placed on it as a sanctuary for children. Even if, by some misfortune, unsavory creatures entered the house, your room would remain secure." **

**"Has anything ever gotten into the house?" Kendra asked. **

**"Nothing unwanted has breached these homestead walls," Grandpa said. "Still, we can never be too careful. Tomorrow you will help prepare some defenses to afford us an extra layer of protection. Because of the recent uproar with the fairies, I fear this could be a particularly chaotic Midsummer Eve." **

**"Has anyone ever died here?" Seth asked. "On this property, I mean?" **

Seth frowned. It hurt deep inside. He did not want to be reminded of his friends' deaths. Kendra looked at Grandpa, Grandma, Gran and Gramps. The deaths probably shook them too and if it did, they were definitely good at hiding it.

**"We should save that topic for another time," Grandpa said, standing up.**

**"That one guy changed into dandelion seeds," Kendra said. **

**"Anybody else?" Seth insisted. Grandpa regarded them soberly for a moment.**

**"As you are learning, these preserves are hazardous places. Accidents have occurred in the past. Those accidents generally happen to people who venture where they do not belong or tamper with matters beyond their understanding. If you adhere to my rules, you should have nothing to worry about."**

**The sun had not yet risen far above the horizon as Seth and Dale walked along the rutted lane that ran away from the barn. Seth had never particularly noticed the weedy cart track. The lane began on the far side of the barn and led into the woods. After meandering for some time beneath the trees, the track continued across an expansive meadow. Overhead, only a few wispy clouds interrupted the bright blue sky. Dale walked briskly, forcing Seth to hustle in order to keep up. Seth was already getting sweaty. The warm day promised to be hot by noon. Seth kept watch for interesting creatures. He spotted birds, squirrels, and rabbits in the meadow, but saw nothing supernatural. **

**"Where are all the magical animals?" Seth asked. **

**"This is the calm before the storm," Dale said. "I expect most of them are resting up for tonight." **

**"What sort of monsters will be out tonight?" **

**"Stan warned that you might try to pry information out of me. Best not to be so curious about those kinds of things." **

**"Not telling me is what makes me curious!" **

**"It's for your own good," Dale said. "Part of the idea is that telling you might make you scared. The other part is that telling you might make you even more curious." **

**"If you tell me, I promise I'll stop being curious." Dale shook his head. **

**"What makes you think you can keep that promise?" **

**"I can't possibly get more curious than I already am. Not knowing anything is the hardest."**

Tanu had been sleeping well off into the noon by then. He had walked over to a foldable chair right after he thought that Warren and Vanessa were smooching under water.

**"Well, fact of the matter is, I can't give a very satisfying answer to your question. Have I seen strange things, frightening things, in my time here? You bet. Not just on festival nights. Have I stolen a peek out the window on a festival night? A time or two, sure. But I learned to quit looking. People aren't meant to have things like that in their minds. Makes it hard to sleep. I don't look anymore. Neither does Lena, neither does your grandfather, neither does your grandmother. And we're adults."**

"He's right Seth," Kendra hadn't spoken since she had started reading. "Maybe you couldn't have looked out of the window."

"If I hadn't," Seth argued. "You'd probably never met," he stopped, clasped his hands together, held them out, closed his eyes and made kissing faces and sounds. "Your oh-so-sweet Bracken." Bracken blushed a deep red and submerged himself.

"You just crossed the line!"

"Children!" Marla called and snapped her fingers. "Do you want your father and I to bring you back home? The one that isn't Fablehaven?" Kendra, Seth and Scott shook their heads vigorously.

"I don't wanna go back," Scott whined.

"You're supposed to back me up," Marla face palmed. Everyone grinned. Bracken resurfaced.

"What'd I miss?" Bracken asked, coughing.

"Dad making puppy eyes at mom," Seth and Kendra laughed.

**"What did you see?" **

**"How about we change the subject?" **

**"You're killing me. I have to know!" Dale stopped and faced him. **

**"Seth, you only think you want to know. It seems harmless to know, walking under a clear blue sky on a fine morning with a friend. But what about tonight, alone in your room, in the dark, when the night outside is full of unnatural sounds? You might regret me putting a face to what is wailing outside the window." Seth swallowed. He looked up at Dale, eyes wide. **

**"What kind of face?"**

Newel pounced at Seth and snarled viciously then let the boy escape his grasp. "The kind of face that keeps baby demons awake at night!"

"You're kidding," Seth said, a little shaken. "I saw what they were."

Doren grabbed his shoulders from behind. "You only thought so!"

Seth scampered away. "Look guys, stop spooking me!"

"And the guy says he's immune to fear," Newel snickered.

"Magical fear," Seth corrected. "I still get shocked every now and then."

**"Let's leave it at this. To this day, when I'm out and about after dark, I am sorry I looked. When you're a few years older, a day will come when your grandfather will give you an opportunity to look out the window on a festival night. If you start feeling inquisitive, postpone your curiosity until that moment. If it were me, if I could go back, I'd skip looking altogether." **

**"Easy to say after you looked." **

**"Not easy to say. I paid a heavy price to say it. Many sleepless nights." **

**"What can be so bad? I can imagine some scary things." **

**"I thought the same thing. I failed to appreciate that imagining and seeing are two very different things." **

**"If you already looked, why not look again?"**

Warren and Vanessa stood at the edge of the pool. "If you already looked, why not look again Seth?"

Seth gulped. "I was stupid, remember? I don't wanna look again," then he changed his mind and grinned. "Unless of course you chain my hands and feet then tie me to the window so I can have a good look."

Everyone else groaned.

"Hey, you asked."

**"I don't want to see anything else. I'd rather just guess at the rest." Dale started walking again. **

**"I still want to know," Seth said. **

**"Smart people learn from their mistakes. But the real sharp ones learn from the mistakes of others. Don't pout; you're about to see something impressive. And it won't even give you nightmares." **

**"What?" **

**"See where the road goes over that rise?" **

**"Yeah." **

**"The surprise is on the far side." **

**"You're sure?" **

**"Positive." **

**"It better not be another fairy," Seth said. **

**"What's the matter with fairies?" **

**"I've already seen about a billion of them and also they turned me into a walrus."**

Kendra tried to imagine her brother as walrus again. He probably looked like the butter-making walrus in the icy preserve in was that Antarctica? She wasn't sure.

**"It's not a fairy." **

**"It's not like a waterfall or something?" Seth asked suspiciously.**

Seth looked around to look for a sunset. Hopefully the world won't be turning against him as well. It was still early in the afternoon sun.

**"No, you'll like it." **

**"Good, because you're getting my hopes up. Is it dangerous?" **

**"It could be, but we should be safe." **

**"Let's hurry." Seth dashed up the rise. He glanced back at Dale, who continued walking. Not a great sign. If the surprise were dangerous, Dale would not want him running ahead. At the top of the rise Seth halted, staring down the gentle slope on the far side. **

**Not a hundred yards away, a huge creature was wading through a hayfield wielding a pair of gigantic scythes. The hulking figure slashed down wide swaths of alfalfa at a relentless pace, both scythes hissing and chiming without pause. Dale joined Seth atop the rise. **

**"What is it?" Seth asked. **

**"Our golem, Hugo. Come see." Dale left the cart track and started across the field toward the toiling goliath. **

**"What's a golem?" Seth asked, trailing after him. **

**"Watch." Dale raised his voice. "Hugo, halt!" The scythes stopped cutting in mid-stroke. "Hugo, come!" **

Kendra half-expected Hugo to come lumbering towards her, but he stood at the back of the crowd and listened. Hugo knew enough that this was a retelling of something that happened before and she was glad.

**The herculean mower turned and jogged toward them with long, loping strides. Seth could feel the ground vibrate as Hugo approached. Still clutching the scythes, the massive golem came to a halt in front of Dale, looming over him.**

**"He's made of dirt?" Seth asked.**

**"Soil, clay, and stone," Dale said. "Granted the semblance of life by a powerful enchanter. Hugo was donated to the preserve a couple hundred years ago." **

**"How tall is he?" **

**"Over nine feet when he stands up straight. Mostly he slouches closer to eight." Seth gawked at the behemoth. In form he looked more apelike than human. Aside from his impressive height, Hugo was broad, with thick limbs and disproportionately large hands and feet. Tufts of grass and the occasional dandelion sprouted from his earthen body. He had an oblong head with a square jaw. Crude features resembled nose, mouth, and ears. The eyes were a pair of vacant hollows beneath a jutting brow. **

**"Can he talk?" **

**"No. He tries to sing. Hugo, sing us a song!" The wide mouth began to open and close, and out rumbled a series of gravelly roars, some long, some short, none of them bearing much resemblance to music. Hugo cocked his head back and forth, as if swaying to the melody. **

"Has Hugo improved his singing skills?" Grandpa asked.

"I haven't checked," Dale looked at the golem. "Hugo?"

Hugo started singing it sounded the same as how Seth had described it except that this time there were a few other sounds mixed in like the whooshing of the wind and other nature sounds.

**Seth tried to stifle his laughter.**

That line definitely fit what was happening right now. Hugo stopped of his own accord. He laughed his earthy laugh even he found it funny. Everyone nodded thoughtfully.

"At least he sings better than Seth," Grandma remarked. This earned a few more earnest nods.

"Of course not!" Seth began clearing his throat and started singing. "It feels just like it was yesterday," he began the song with the right notes and Kendra found herself tapping her feet to the beat. "We were in love," he stooped down to pick a rose. "Why's it falling apart?" he threw the flower at a bunch of fairies who glowered then smiled gratefully.

"I've never been one to walk away but I'd had enough and it's breaking my heart," Seth was making dramatic motions he crouched in front of a fairy a few feet away from him, faced away from her and clutched the area above his heart while holding a hand out.

"Coz," Seth hit the note wrong it was a little too high-pitched but no one minded, plus he quickly mended that mistake. "You love me just the way that you should," he stood twirled and pointed at another fairy. "It's nothing that you do, no it's nothing you say," he began walking towards her and made a heart-shape with his hands and winked. "Yeah pretty baby I know that you're good," he turned on one foot then faced a new crowd of fairies with a handsome smirk. "But I don't want a good girl no not today."

"Coz I want it-!" Kendra stopped him by knocking him down with the book. She knew very well what the next line was. "Hey what's the point I got a crowd going there!" Kendra shook her head. "At least let me finish the chorus," he begged.

"Uhm," Kendra fingered through the book. "Let me finish the book, then you can sing all you want."

Heads shook in disagreement even Bracken's and all of the fairies were shaking their heads. They were now vying for his attention. Kendra didn't pay them any heed.

**"Hugo, stop singing." The golem fell silent. **

**"He isn't very good," Seth said. **

**"About as musical as a landslide." **

**"Does it embarrass him?" **

**"He doesn't think like we do. Doesn't get happy or sad or angry or bored. He's like a robot. Hugo just obeys commands." **

**"Can I tell him to do stuff?" **

**"If I order him to obey you," Dale said. "Otherwise he just listens to me, Lena, and your grandparents." **

**"What else can he do?" **

**"He understands a lot. He performs all sorts of manual labor. It would take quite a team to match all the work he does around here. Hugo never sleeps. If you leave him with a list of chores, he'll labor through the night." **

**"I want to tell him to do something." **

**"Hugo, put down the scythes," said Dale. The golem set the scythes on the ground. "Hugo, this is Seth. Hugo will obey Seth's next command." **

**"Now?" asked Seth. **

**"Say his name first, so he knows you're addressing him." **

**"Hugo, do a cartwheel." Hugo held out his palms and shrugged. **

**"He doesn't know what you mean," Dale said. "Can you do a cartwheel?" **

**"Yeah." **

**"Hugo, Seth is going to show you a cartwheel." Seth put up his hands, lunged sideways, and did a cartwheel with sloppy form. **

**"Hugo," Dale said. "Obey Seth's next command." **

**"Hugo, do a cartwheel." The golem raised his arms, lurched to one side, and completed an awkward cartwheel. **

"He learns from the best," Kendra mocked.

"And you said to let you finish reading," Seth said.

"Before you start singing," she reminded.

**The ground trembled. "Pretty good for a first try," Seth said. **

**"He duplicated yours. Hugo, when you do a cartwheel, keep your body straighter and aligned on a single plane, like a wheel turning. Hugo, do a cartwheel!" This time Hugo executed a nearly perfect cartwheel. His hands left prints in the field. **

**"He learns fast," Seth exclaimed.**

"You know what?" Kendra asked.

"What?" Seth asked back.

"You're so clueless." Seth frowned as well as a few fairies.

**"Anything physical, least ways." Dale put his hands on his hips. "I'm sick of walking. What do you say we let Hugo take us to our next stop?" **

**"Really?" **

**"If you'd rather walk we can always-" **

**"No way!"**

**Kendra used a hacksaw to separate another pumpkin from the vine. Further down the long trough of soil, Lena was cutting a large red one. Nearly half the greenhouse was devoted to pumpkins, big and small, white, yellow, orange, red, and green. They had arrived at the greenhouse by a faint trail through the woods. Aside from the pumpkins and plants, the glass structure contained a generator to power the lights and the climate control. **

**"We really have to cut three hundred?" Kendra asked. **

**"Just be glad you don't have to load them," Lena said. **

**"Who does?" **

**"It's a surprise." **

**"Are jack-o'-lanterns really such a big deal?" **

**"Do they work? Quite well. Especially if we can convince fairies to fill them."**

Bracken, Trask, Mara and Elise got out of the pool leaving no one behind. As Bracken left fairies started mobbing him but Bracken politely asked them to leave him alone afterwards a few hesitant fairies fluttered around him from a distance of a least three feet. When he reached Kendra all the fairies flew farther away at a distance of at least five meters. Bracken stood by Kendra.

**"With magic?" **

**"To dwell in them for the night," explained Lena. "Fairy lanterns have long been among the surest protections from creatures with dubious intentions." **

**"But I thought the house was already safe." Kendra began sawing the stem of a tall orange pumpkin. **

**"Redundancies in security are wise on festival nights. Particularly on a Midsummer Eve after all the recent commotion." **

**"How will we ever carve all of them before tonight?" **

**"Leave that to Dale. He could carve them all himself with time to spare. Not always the most artful renderings, but the man can mass produce. You carve only for fun; he knows how to carve for need." **

**"I've never liked pulling out the guts," said Kendra. **

**"Really?" Lena said. "I love the slimy texture, getting greasy up to my elbows. Like playing in the mud." **

A tear raced down Kendra's cheek unbidden. Bracken leaned closer so close that if he moved any closer they would've kissed. He wiped the tear from Kendra's cheek with a careful finger and the tear remained a circular blob. He placed it on his lips and stepped back. At first he was smiling then he probably realized what he had done and blushed.

"Uhm," Seth cleared his throat. "I thought you said you didn't want any distractions? Or maybe you didn't want my distractions?"

Kendra didn't hear she was looking at Bracken with a pent-up longing. It wasn't until Marla spoke up that she was snatched out of her daydreaming.

"Aw," Marla cooed. "Look at those two. I think my little princess has found her Prince Charming." Kendra looked away and began reading hastily in the midst of wondrous looks.

"**We'll have delicious pies afterwards." **

**"Is this white one too small?" **

**"Maybe save it for autumn." **

**"Do you think the fairies will come?" **

**"Hard to say," Lena admitted. "Some, for sure. Normally we have no trouble filling as many lanterns as we care to carve, but tonight might be an exception."**

**"What if they don't show up?" Kendra asked. **

**"We'll be fine. Artificial lighting works, just not as well as fairies. With the fairy lanterns, the commotion stays farther from the house. In addition, Stan will be putting out tribal masks, herbs, and other safeguards." **

**"Is the night really so awful?" **

**"You'll hear plenty of disturbing sounds." **

**"Maybe we should have skipped the milk this morning." Lena shook her head, not lifting her eyes from her work. **

**"Some of the most insidious tricks employed tonight will involve artifice and illusion. Without the milk you could be even more susceptible. It would only broaden their ability to mask their true appearance." Kendra severed another pumpkin. **

**"Either way, I won't be looking." **

**"I wish we could transplant some of your common sense to your brother." **

**"After all that's happened, I'm sure he'll behave tonight." The door to the greenhouse opened, and Dale poked his head in. **

**"Kendra, come here, I want you to meet somebody." Kendra walked to the door with Lena behind her. In the doorway, Kendra paused and let out a small shriek. **

"Kendra," Grandpa called, making her stop. "You're reading too fast."

"She probably got a case of Bracken-just-kissed-my-tear-itis," Seth scoffed, earning a few laughs and giggles mostly from Warren and Vanessa. Vanessa winked. Kendra started reading at a more reasonable pace. She did not dare look at Bracken.

**A bulky creature with a simian build was marching toward the greenhouse pulling a rickshaw-type contraption the size of a wagon. **

**"What is it?" **

**"He's Hugo," Seth crowed from inside the handcart. "He's a robot made of dirt!" He jumped out of the cart and ran over to Kendra. **

**"I ran ahead so you could see him approach," Dale said. **

**"Hugo can run really fast when you tell him to, " Seth gushed. "Dale let me give him orders and he obeyed everything I said. See? He's waiting for instructions." Hugo stood motionless beside the greenhouse, still holding the rickshaw. Had she not just seen Hugo moving, Kendra would have assumed he was a crude statue. Seth shouldered past Kendra into the greenhouse.**

**"What is he?" Kendra asked Lena. **

**"A golem," she replied. "Animated matter granted rudimentary intelligence. He does most of the heavy labor around here." **

**"He's loading the pumpkins." **

**"And rolling them to the house in his cart." Seth exited the greenhouse toting a fairly large pumpkin. **

**"Can I show her a command?" he asked. **

**"Sure," Dale said. "Hugo, obey the next command from Seth." Holding the pumpkin at his waist with both hands, leaning back a bit to stay balanced, Seth approached the golem. **

**"Hugo, take this pumpkin and throw it as far as you can into the woods." The inert golem sprang to life. Grasping the pumpkin in one massive hand, he twisted and then fiercely uncoiled, hurling the pumpkin into the sky like a discus. Dale whistled softly as the pumpkin shrank into the distance, finally dropping out of sight, an orange speck vanishing behind far-off treetops. "Did you see that?" Seth cried. "He's better than a water balloon launcher!"**

**"Regular catapult," Dale murmured. **

**"Very impressive," Lena agreed dryly. "Forgive me if I hope to put a few of our pumpkins to more practical use. You boys come help us cut the rest of our harvest so we can get them loaded." **

**"Can't Hugo do a few more tricks?" Seth begged. "He knows cartwheels."**

**"There will be time for nonsense later," Lena assured him. **

"There will also be time to annoy Kendra later," he murmured excitedly which everyone heard.

**"We need to finish our preparations for this evening."**

"Well," Seth exclaimed. "That came sooner than expected."

Kendra dropped the book from exhaustion of reading so fast. It fell into Bracken's grasp and so did she.

"You have a wonderful voice," he whispered into her ear.

_Not as wonderful as Seth's_, she thought and she believed it to be true.

"Not as beautiful as yours," he chuckled still in a hushed voice.

"Bracken," she spoke and looked at his platinum-blue eyes and lost herself in them.

A/N: Aw... that's so sweet. I hope it wasn't too mushy for you. So much support I hope that no one is annoyed by the long author's notes. You can always skip them, they're mostly info and such. Also I hope you better understand which is the real story and which is not. Before I forget I'll draw the cover image of this story myself, hope you'll like it when it shows up. You can send your thoughts and ideas through PMs and reviews, I'll gladly accept them. But this time five reviews and I'll start writing the next chapter, I just want to see how many reviews I'll get. Also if you wanted to read the first part of this story which is all thanks to 1238904756's efforts just copy this and paste this link on the search bar: s/8109871/1/Fablehaven-reads-Fablehaven. See ya round!


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 10: MIDSUMMER EVE

A/N: Sorry I'm late! Well here's the deal: School is being a total flunker for me so I need to study more and this is the only time I have. I'll try to write faster these days. Either ways, let's roll in the top reviewers! The first five are: MeTheAwesome, NightShadeMoon, Greninja, Guest and guestie. Thanks for saying it wasn't too mushy because I seriously thought it was. I was also wondering how come you guys didn't notice Seth was singing and Vanessa and Warren's epic plunge... or you liked the mushy part the most? Anyways, you guys are so helpful it adds to my written words here. Also I wanna check you guys up on the fact that my PM is not working, it deliberately turned against me. So just tell me in the reviews coz I just realized it on December 7, 2013. I'm calling Scott and Marla Dad and Mom from now on, mostly. I still didn't finish the drawing yet sorry guys. Hold the pitchforks and torches the story's coming!

-_PREVIOUSLY_-

"_Not as beautiful as yours," he chuckled still in a hushed voice._

"_Bracken," she spoke and looked at his platinum-blue eyes and lost herself in them._

-_SUBSEQUENTLY-_-

Seth excused himself and said out loud while cupping a hand against his mouth. "I guess I'll just go away and not ruin the moment of Kendra's life," he stopped then continued. "Like the idiot I am!"

Kendra cringed. Seth's voice was like those iron pad things they use on patients that were dying. Except that this time it wasn't welcomed. Bracken squeezed her hand and she looked back into his eyes. A loud flash was from an antique camera was heard.

"Thought I was gone didn't you," Seth said while taking the black and white picture that came out from the camera's slot. "Well this one's a keeper." He trotted away back to the main house probably to get it into a picture frame.

"Seth," Kendra growled through gritted teeth.

"He's not worth your frowns Kendra," Bracken said while wiping his hand across her forehead. "Besides you can tease him as well when he falls in love." Kendra smiled.

"Yeah when he-," then the full meaning of why Seth was singing 'Bad' hit her. Was her brother in love? She shook her head. The last time Seth had a crush it was during preschool right? She wasn't sure but vetoed the idea that Seth indeed had fallen in love but with who? With what? The fairies. Impossible he hates them for turning him into a walrus. But his audience, his screaming fan girls, they were... fairies! Bracken nudged her a bit.

"Kendra?" he asked, sweet voice laced with worry. He had apparently heard what Kendra thought.

"N-n-nothing Bracken," she stuttered. "J-j-just thinking." Vanessa coughed, loudly.

"Well if you're just gonna stand there hugging each other," she leaned forward. "You might as well hand over the book." Bracken gave it while releasing Kendra from his grasp. "Thanks."

"No problem Vanessa," Kendra said.

"You look pale," Bracken turned to face her. "Why did it bother you so much?"

"I-I-I think I want to sleep," she walked towards the main house, Bracken stood frozen for a while.

"I'm coming with you," he called then rushed forward. Kendra waited for him and they held hands while walking.

"They grow up so fast," Mom sobbed.

"Well since Seth's gone," Newel stood up. "We might as well leave to watch the replay of Miami Heat against the Pacers."

"But there's no-," Doren got cut off when Newel grabbed him by the mouth and pulled him away towards the edge of the yard.

"Well," Gran motioned for Vanessa to come closer. "I'll be reading."

"And since the kids and satyrs are gone it will be indefinitely boring," Warren added but Vanessa looked at him disappointedly. "Sorry."

**Grandpa prodded the logs in the fireplace with a poker. A shower of sparks swirled up the chimney as one log split open, revealing an interior of glowing embers. Dale poured himself a cup of steaming coffee, adding three spoonfuls of sugar. Lena peered out the window through the blinds.**

"It's boring!" Warren exclaimed.

"Is that supposed to be some kind of ritual when a new chapter starts?" Dale asked his brother, eyebrows arched.

"I told you it's no fun without them," Warren mumbled and pouted. Vanessa patted him on the back.

"Warren's right," Trask muttered. "It makes you feel tired." His head bobbed up and down until Elise poked him in the shoulder. "Sorry my bad," he yawned.

"We'll have to make the best of it," Gran sighed.

**"The sun will reach the horizon in moments," she announced.**

**Kendra sat beside Seth on the sofa, watching Grandpa stoke the fire. The preparations were all in place. The entrances to the house were crowded with jack-o'-lanterns. Lena had been right-Dale had carved more than two hundred of them. Not quite thirty fairies had reported for duty, many fewer than Grandpa had expected, even given the recently strained relations. Eight of the fairy lanterns were placed on the roof outside the attic, four at each window. Glow sticks illuminated most of the pumpkins, two in each. Grandpa Sorenson apparently ordered them in bulk.**

**"Will it start right when the sun goes down?" Seth asked.**

**"Things won't really get going until twilight fades," Grandpa said, setting the poker beside the other fire irons. "But the hour has come for you children to retire to your room."**

**"I want to stay up with you," Seth said.**

**"The attic bedroom is the safest place in the house," Grandpa said.**

**"Why don't we all stay in the attic?" Kendra asked. Grandpa shook his head.**

**"The spells that make the attic impenetrable function only if it is occupied by children. Without children, or with adults in the room, the barriers become ineffectual."**

**"Isn't the whole house supposed to be safe?" Kendra asked.**

**"I believe so, but on an enchanted preserve, nothing is ever certain. I am concerned by the scant number of fairies who reported this afternoon. I worry this could be a particularly uproarious Midsummer Eve. Perhaps the worst since I've lived here." A long, mournful howl underscored his statement. The disturbing call was answered by a stronger howl, closer, that ended with a cackle. Chills tingled behind Kendra's shoulders.**

"Agh!" Warren screamed. "I can't stand it you people are so, so-agh!" Warren screamed again.

"Warren," Vanessa chided. "Behave yourself!"

"B-b-but Vanessa," he groaned. "Aren't you bored too?" Vanessa sighed then smiled.

**"The sun is gone," Lena reported from the window. She squinted, then put a hand to her mouth. Closing the slat, she stepped away from the blinds. "They're already entering the yard." Kendra leaned forward. Lena really looked upset. She had paled visibly. Her dark eyes were unsettled. Grandpa scowled.**

**"Real trouble?" She nodded. Grandpa clapped his hands together. "Up to the attic." The tension in the room prevented Kendra from uttering any protest. Apparently Seth sensed the same urgency. Grandpa Sorenson followed them up the stairs, down the hall, and up into their bedroom. "Get under your covers," Grandpa said.**

**"What's around the beds?" Seth asked, examining the floor.**

**"Circles of special salt," Grandpa said. "An extra protection." Kendra stepped carefully over the salt, pulled back the covers, and climbed into bed. The sheets felt cool. Grandpa handed her a pair of small, spongy cylinders.**

**"Earplugs," he said, passing a pair to Seth as well. "I suggest you wear them. They should help mute the tumult so you can sleep."**

"Of course Seth won't use them," Trask yawned. "He's way too reckless for a youngster. So now let me sleep."

The others yawned as well. Even Gran started to feel that reading the book for the others was pointless and so she decided to take matters into her own hands. She hadn't actually noticed until now that there were still 20 or so Knights of the Dawn with them, apparently the others had taken their leave early including Raxtus. She clapped her hands together.

"Alright," she started, eyeing each and everyone. "On behalf of Stan, the meeting has been adjourned. Knights you may leave and resume your former positions around the globe."

"I wanted to say that," Grandpa grumbled groggily as the Knights stood up and made the formal parting symbols in front of him. As the Knights left along with Mara, Trask and Elise they took the still sleeping Sphinx with them.

"Why did you send them away?" Vanessa asked innocently.

"She probably realized it was no good talking to a bunch of people who didn't like the story without the others," Warren said under his breath.

"I heard that," Gran admonished.

"Come on Warren," Vanessa sighed as she took the book from Gloria who wasn't the least bit offended when she took it. "Let's have a little walk around the preserve." She opened it and walked towards the edge of the yard with Warren at her heels.

"Be careful!" Mom called. "Vanessa, make sure you get back home before it's too dark! Remember you're the one helping me cook tonight."

"Warren!" Dale added. "If any of the two of you get hurt, well I'm blaming you."

"Don't worry," Warren replied. "I'm sure Vanessa and I will be just fine."

**"Just cram them in our ears?" Seth said, eyeing one suspiciously.**

**"That's the idea," Grandpa said. An eruption of high-pitched laughter blared up from the yard. Kendra and Seth exchanged a concerned glance. Grandpa took a seat at the edge of Kendra's bed. "I need you kids to be brave and responsible for me tonight," he said. They nodded silently. "You should know," he went on, "I didn't let you come here merely as a favor to your parents. Your grandmother and I are getting on in years. The day will come when somebody else will need to care for this preserve. We need to find heirs. Dale is a good man, but he has no interest in running things here. You kids have impressed me so far. You are bright, adventurous, and courageous."**

They passed through the yard's boundaries as Vanessa said, "He probably should've added reckless for Seth."

"Vanessa?"

"Yes, Warren?"

"Nothing."

"**There are some unpleasant aspects to living here. Festival nights are a good example. Perhaps you wonder why we don't just all go spend the night in a hotel. If we did, we would return to find the house in ruins. Our presence is essential to the magic that protects these walls. If you are ever going to be involved with the work on this preserve, you will need to learn to cope with certain unpleasant realities. Look at tonight as a test. If the chaotic clamor outside is too much for you, then you do not belong here. There is no shame in this. People who belong here are rare."**

**"We'll be fine," Seth said.**

**"I believe you will. Listen carefully to my final instructions. Once I leave the room, no matter what you hear, no matter what happens, do not leave your beds. We will not come to check on you until morning. You may think you hear me, or Dale, or Lena, asking to come in. Be forewarned. It will not be us. This room is invulnerable unless you open a window or the door. Remain in your beds and that will not happen. With the fairy lanterns at your window, odds are that nothing will come near this part of the house. Try to ignore the tumult of the night, and we'll all share a special breakfast in the morning. Any questions?"**

**"I'm scared," Kendra said. "Don't go."**

"Kendra's a lot more braver now," Warren observed as he pushed up a branch to keep it from hitting Vanessa's face. "Killed the demon king. How cool is that?"

"Yes," Vanessa smiled as she looked up from the book. "I'm glad to have her as a friend amidst all the male hormones around."

"Male hormones?" Warren asked incredulously.

"Why, yes." Vanessa answered. "You guys always keep on thrashing the house. You even managed to turn the Fairy Prince a little bit rough." Warren bit his lip. "Although your effects, Seth's and yours I mean, fade when he's with Kendra so no worries about the Fairy Queen wreaking havoc around here."

**"You'll be safer without me. We'll be keeping watch downstairs all night. Everything will be fine. Just go to sleep."**

**"It's okay, Grandpa," Seth said. "I'll keep an eye on her."**

**"Keep the other on yourself," Grandpa said sternly. "You mind me tonight. This is no game."**

**"I will." Outside the wind began to whistle through the trees. The day had been calm, but now a groaning gust shook the house. Overhead the shingles rattled and the timbers creaked. Grandpa crossed to the door.**

**"Strange winds are blowing. I better get downstairs. Goodnight, sleep tight, I'll greet you at sunrise." He closed the door. The wind subsided. Goldilocks clucked softly.**

**"You've got to be kidding," Kendra said.**

**"I know," Seth said. "I'm practically wetting the bed."**

Vanessa stopped in her tracks so did Warren. Warren tried to stifle a laugh but it came out as large guffaws. Vanessa laughed her own share.

**"I don't think I'll sleep all night."**

**"I know I won't."**

**"We better try," said Kendra.**

**"Okay."**

**Kendra inserted the earplugs. Closing her eyes, she curled up and snuggled into her covers. All she had to do was fall asleep, and she could escape the frightening sounds of the night. She forced herself to relax, letting her body go limp, and tried to clear her mind. It was hard not to fantasize about inheriting the estate. No way would they give it to Seth! He would blow the whole place up in five minutes! What would it be like to know all the mysterious secrets of Fablehaven? It might be scary if she were alone. She would have to share the secret with her parents so they could live with her. After a couple of minutes she rolled over to face the other direction. She always had a tough time falling asleep when she was too deliberate about it. She tried to think of nothing, tried to focus on calm, regular breathing. Seth was saying something, but the earplugs muffled it. She pulled them out.**

Warren cleared his throat then changed his mind. They still had a few miles to walk until they reach the Lake. He decided he could wait.

**"What?"**

**"I said, the suspense is killing me. Are you actually using the earplugs?"**

**"Of course. You're not?"**

**"I don't want to miss anything."**

**"Are you crazy?"**

**"I'm not tired at all," he said. "Are you?"**

**"Not much."**

**"Dare me to look out the window?"**

"You know yesterday," Warren walked closer to Vanessa. "I dared Seth to look out the window when he stayed over at my cabin last night."

"What?" Vanessa practically yelled at him.

"Hey no harm done," Warren held his hands up. "Just thought you wanted to know."

**"Don't be stupid!"**

**"It's barely sunset. What better time to look?"**

**"How about never."**

**"You're a bigger chicken than Goldilocks."**

**"You've got less brains than Hugo." The wind rose again, steadily gaining force. Warbling moans echoed on the breeze, groaning indifferent pitches, forming eerie, discordant harmonies. A long, birdlike scream overpowered the ghostly chorus of moans, starting at one side of the house, passing overhead, and finally fading. In the distance, a bell began to toll. Seth no longer looked quite so brave.**

**"Maybe we should try to get some sleep," he said, putting in the earplugs.**

**Kendra did likewise. The sounds were muffled, but continued: the haunted wind lamenting, the house shuddering, an increasing assortment of shrieks, screams, howls, and wild bursts of gibbering laughter. The pillow grew warm, so Kendra flipped it over to the cold side. The only light in the room had been filtering through the curtains. As twilight dimmed, the room darkened. Kendra pressed her hands over her ears, trying to augment the dampening power of the earplugs. She told herself the sounds were just a storm. A deep, throbbing beat joined the cacophony, keeping a steady rhythm. As the pulsing percussion increased in volume and tempo, it was accompanied by chanting in a wailing language. Kendra resisted otherworldly images of vicious demons on the hunt. A pair of hands closed around her throat. She jumped and flailed, smacking Seth across the cheek with the back of her hand.**

"I feel a fight coming on," Warren whistled as they passed the trail that led to satyr's place. He could hear them yelling from so far away.

"It's your turn Newel!" Doren shouted.

"Do you even understand how to play football?" Newel shouted back.

"Oh, shut up! You don't even know the difference between a quarterback and a linebacker!"

"Sure I do!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!" A loud rustle of leaves was heard as, Warren imagined, the satyrs push each other into bushes and break out a fight in the midst of leaf litter.

Random shouts of "For football!", "En garde!", "Ouch, my nose!", "My astrid guardian was better than yours!" and "You cheater!" was heard as they passed the trail and until they were a good 10 meters away from it did the sounds get muted. He could still vividly imagine two satyrs roughhousing. And they said they'd be watching Miami Heat play against the Pacers, Warren thought.

"The satyrs hardly change don't they?" Vanessa echoed his inner thoughts.

"Yup."

**"Jeez!" Seth complained, stumbling away.**

**"You asked for it! What's the matter with you?"**

**"You should have seen your face," he laughed, recovering from the slap.**

**"Get back in bed." He sat on the side of her bed. "You should take out your earplugs. The noise isn't so bad after awhile. It reminds me of that CD Dad plays on Halloween." She removed them.**

**"Except it's shaking the house. And it isn't make-believe."**

**"Don't you want to look out the window?"**

**"No! Stop talking about it!" Seth leaned over and turned on the nightlight-a glowing statuette of Snoopy.**

**"I don't see the big deal. I mean, there are all sorts of cool things out there right now. What's wrong with just taking a little peek?"**

**"Grandpa said not to get out of your bed!"**

**"Grandpa lets people look when they get older," Seth said. "Dale told me. So it can't be that dangerous. Grandpa just thinks I'm an idiot."**

**"Yeah, and he's right!"**

"Ah," Vanessa thought. "Kendra would make a good lawyer."

"Seth?"

"A well-known rogue at the worst and a legend at the best."

Warren smiled. "Us?"

"What?"

"Nothing."

**"Think about it. You wouldn't want to run across a tiger out in the wilderness. You'd be scared to death. But at a zoo, who cares? It can't get you. This room is safe. Peeking out the window will be like looking at a zoo full of monsters."**

**"More like looking out of a shark cage." A sudden, staccato flurry of pounding shook the roof, as if a team of horses were galloping across the shingles. Seth flinched, raising his arms protectively. Kendra heard the creak and rattle of wagon wheels.**

**"Don't you want to see what that was?" Seth asked.**

**"Are you trying to tell me that didn't scare you?"**

**"I expect to be scared. That's the whole point!"**

"V-V-Vanessa," Warren stammered, he opened and closed his mouth to say nothing.

Vanessa raised an eyebrow.

"Were you scared during our first missions together?"

"No."

"Why?"

"You were my partner, one of the best Knights out there." Warren blushed. Vanessa didn't notice.

**"If you don't get back in bed," warned Kendra, "I'm telling Grandpa in the morning."**

**"Don't you want to see who's playing the drums?"**

**"Seth, I'm not kidding. You probably won't even be able to see anything."**

**"We have a telescope." Something outside roared, a thunderous bellow of bestial ferocity. It was enough to silence the conversation. The night continued to rage. The roar came again, if anything with greater intensity, momentarily drowning out all the other commotion. Kendra and Seth eyed one another. "I bet it's a dragon," he said breathlessly, running over to the window.**

**"Seth, no!" Seth pulled aside the curtain. The four jack-o'-lanterns shed a mellow illumination across the portion of the roof directly beyond the window. For a moment Seth thought he saw something swirling in the darkness at the edge of the light, a whirling mass of silky black fabric. Then he saw only blackness. "No stars," he reported.**

**"Seth, get away from there." Kendra had her sheets pulled up to her eyes. He squinted through the window a moment longer.**

**"Too dark; I can't see anything." A glimmering fairy floated up from one of the jack-o'-lanterns, peering at Seth through the slightly warped windowpane. "Hey, a fairy came out." The tiny fairy waved an arm and was joined by three others. One made a face at Seth, and then all four streaked away into the night. **

"Hey did you notice that fairies just started to like Seth now?"

"Yes, quite unusual if you ask me." Vanessa was starting to get suspicious. What did Warren want to ask her at first? Why can't he say it? Is it something he hasn't told anyone before?

**Now he could see nothing. Seth closed the curtain and backed away from the window.**

**"You had your look," Kendra said. "Are you satisfied?"**

**"The fairies in the jack-o'-lanterns flew away," he said.**

**"Nice work. They probably saw who they were guarding."**

**"Actually, I think you're right. One made a face at me."**

**"Get back in bed," Kendra ordered. The drumming ceased, along with the chanting. The ghostly wind grew quiet. The howls and screams and laughter diminished in volume and frequency. Something pattered across the roof. Then silence.**

**"Something's wrong," Seth whispered.**

**"They probably saw you; get back in bed."**

**"I have a flashlight in my emergency kit." He went to the nightstand by his bed and withdrew a small flashlight from the cereal box. Kendra kicked off her sheets and lunged at Seth, tackling him onto his bed. She wrenched the flashlight from his grasp and pushed off him to regain her feet. He charged her. Twisting, she used his momentum to shove him onto her bed.**

**"Quit it, Seth, or I'll go get Grandpa right now!"**

**"I'm not the one starting a fight!" His expression was a portrait of wounded resentment. She hated when he tried to act like the victim after initiating trouble.**

**"Neither am I."**

**"First you hit me, then you jump on me?"**

**"You stop breaking the rules or I'm going straight downstairs."**

**"You're worse than the witch. Grandpa should build you a shack."**

**"Get in your bed."**

**"Give me my light. I bought it with my own money." They were interrupted by the sound of a baby crying. There was nothing desperate about it, just the bawling of an upset infant. The crying seemed to emanate from outside the darkened window.**

**"A little baby," Seth said.**

**"No, it's some trick."**

**"Maaamaaaaaaa," the baby whined.**

**"Sounds pretty real," Seth said. "Let me take a look."**

**"It's going to be a skeleton or something." Seth grabbed the flashlight from Kendra. She neither gave it to him nor prevented him from taking it. He jogged over to the window. Holding the front of the flashlight against the windowpane, and cupping a hand around it to minimize reflection, he switched it on.**

"Warren?" now it was Vanessa's turn to ask.

"Yes Vanessa?"

"Ah..." Vanessa stopped and continued reading.

**"Oh my gosh," he said. "It really is a baby!"**

**"Anything else?"**

**"Just a crying baby." The crying stopped. "Now he's looking at me." Kendra could no longer resist. She went and stood behind Seth. There on the roof just beyond the window stood a tear-streaked toddler who looked barely old enough to stand. The baby wore cloth diapers and nothing else. He had wispy blonde curls and a little round tummy with an outie bellybutton. Eyes brimming with tears, the child held out its pudgy arms toward the window.**

"How cute," Vanessa murmured.

**"It has to be a trick," Kendra said. "An illusion." Spotlighted by the flashlight, the toddler took a step toward the window and fell to all fours. He pouted, on the verge of crying again. Standing up, the baby tried another wobbly step. Goose bumps stood out on his chest and arms.**

**"He looks real," said Seth. "What if he's real?"**

**"Why would a baby be on the roof?" The baby toddled to the window, pressing a chubby palm against the glass. Something glinted in the light behind him. Seth shifted the beam onto a pair of green-eyed wolves approaching stealthily from the edge of the roof. The animals paused as the light fell on them. Both looked mangy and lean. One of the wolves bared sharp teeth, foam frothing from its mouth. The other was missing an eye.**

**"They're using him as bait!" Seth yelled. The baby looked back at the wolves, then turned back toward Seth and Kendra, bawling with renewed vigor, fresh tears streaming, tiny hands slapping the windowpanes. The wolves charged. The toddler wailed. In her cage, Goldilocks clucked wildly. Seth threw open the window.**

Warren winced as they turned around a bend which led to the archway of the hedge surrounding the lake. Seth was there but he ducked behind a bush shaped like Bracken holding out a rose towards the sky, one of his sister's masterpieces. The Fairy Queen had insisted that they should improve the looks of the Lake to new heights. It was also her who thought that Kendra should add life-size bush statues of the people closest to her. Apparently Bracken was one of them. She even made statues of herself, Grandpa, Lena which looked too good to be true that Seth almost cried at the unveiling, Dale, Grandma, Maddox, Newel, Doren, The Fairy Queen, a bigger version of Shiara, Tanu, Coulter, Vanessa, Warren, Dougan, Mara, Cloudwing, Broadhoof, Zack, Cody, Agad, Trask, Elise, Raxtus, a smaller version of Thronis, Mom, Dad, Gran, Gramps, Berrigan, Vincent and lastly Bracken. He wondered where his statue was and remembered that Kendra said she'd make it when Seth does more heroic stuff. Yeah, right, Seth thought.

**"No!" Kendra shouted, although she reflexively wanted to do the same thing.**

**The instant the window opened, wind gushed into the room, as if the air itself had been waiting to pounce. The baby dove into the room, transforming grotesquely as it landed on the floor in a deft somersault. The child was replaced by a leering goblin with yellow slits for eyes, a puckered nose, and a face like a dried cantaloupe. Bald and scabrous on top, the head was fringed by long, weblike hair. The sinuous arms were gangly, the hands long and leathery, tipped with hooked claws. Ribs, collarbones, and pelvis jutted hideously. Spidery networks of veins bulged against maroon flesh. With supernatural haste, the wolves also sailed through the window before Seth could move to close it. Kendra shoved past Seth and jerked the window shut in time to impede the entrance of a coldly beautiful woman swathed in writhing black garments. The apparition's dark hair undulated like vapor in a breeze. Her pallid face was slightly translucent. Gazing into those empty, searing eyes froze Kendra where she stood. Babbling whispers filled her mind. Her mouth felt dry. She could not swallow. **

**Seth yanked the curtains shut and tugged Kendra toward the bed. Whatever trance had momentarily gorgonized her, dissolved. Disoriented, she ran alongside Seth to the bed, sensing something in pursuit. When they leaped onto the mattress, a brilliant light flared behind them, accompanied by a crisp stutter like firecrackers. Kendra twisted to get a look. The maroon goblin stood near the bed, coddling its bony shoulder. The scowling creature stood about as tall as Dale. Hesitantly it reached a knobby hand toward her, and another bright flash sent it staggering away. The circle of salt! At first she had not grasped why Seth was dragging her to the bed. At least one of them was thinking! Glancing down, Kendra saw that the two-inch dune of salt surrounding the bed indeed marked the line the goblin could not cross. A twelve-foot centipede with three sets of wings and three pairs of taloned feet corkscrewed around the room in a complex aerial display. A brutish monster with a pronounced underbite and plates down its spine hurled a wardrobe across the room. The wolves had shed their disguises as well. The maroon goblin cavorted around the room in a feral tantrum, tearing down bookshelves, upsetting toy chests, and snapping the horn off the rocking horse. It picked up Goldilocks' cage and flung it against the wall. **

**The slender bars crumpled and the door sprang open. The terrified chicken took to ungainly flight in a flurry of golden feathers. Goldilocks was coming toward the bed. The winged centipede struck at the flustered hen but missed. The maroon demon made an acrobatic leap and caught the chicken by both legs. Goldilocks clucked and squirmed in mortal panic. Seth jumped off the bed. Crouching, he scooped up two handfuls from the circle of salt and charged the wiry goblin. Now holding the chicken in one hand, the sneering goblin rushed to meet him. An instant before the outstretched hand of the demon reached him, Seth flung a handful of salt. Releasing Goldilocks, the demon reeled back, scorched by a blinding blaze. The chicken made straight for the bed, and Seth tossed his other handful of salt in a wide arc to cover their retreat, scalding the flying centipede in the process. The bulky creature with the underbite tried to beat Seth to the bed, arriving too late and receiving a violent shock as it collided with the invisible salt barrier. Back on the bed, Seth clung to Goldilocks, arms quivering convulsively. The maroon demon growled. His face and chest were charred from the salt. Tendrils of smoke curled up from the burns. Turning, the demon pulled a book from the shelf and tore it in half. The door flew open, and Dale leveled a shotgun at the monster with the underbite. **

"Man, my brother is so cool!" Warren boasted as they walked towards a gazebo. They passed by the statue of Bracken as Seth tried to keep still. He was stepping on the shadows made by the bush statues when they had their backs turned he moved so he escaped them without being noticed.

"Wonder what they're gonna talk about?" Seth asked himself in a low voice as he went under the archway. He stopped just outside. "I'll spy on them!" he began slinking back to Vanessa and Warren's gazebo.

**"You kids stay put no matter what!" he called. All three monsters converged on the doorway. Dale retreated own the stairs, gun silent. The winged centipede spiraled out the door above the other scrambling creatures. They heard a shotgun blast from down in the hall. "Shut the door and stay put!" Dale hollered. Kendra ran and slammed the door, then sprinted back to her bed. Seth held Goldilocks, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I didn't mean for this to happen," he whimpered. **

**"It'll be okay." From downstairs came repeated gunshots. Growls, roars, shrieks, glass shattering, wood splintering. Outside, the cacophonous uproar resumed louder than ever. Pagan drums, ethereal choirs, tribal chanting, wailing lamentations, guttural snarls, unnatural howls, and piercing screams united in relentless disharmony. Kendra, Seth, and Goldilocks sat on the bed awaiting dawn. Kendra had to constantly fight images of the woman with the swirling black garments. She could not get the apparition out of her mind. When she had looked into those soulless eyes, even though the lady was outside, Kendra had felt certain there would be no escape. Late in the night, the furor finally began to relent, replaced by more unnerving sounds. Babies began to cry beyond the window again, calling for mama. When that failed to elicit a response, the voices of young children pleaded for help. **

**"Kendra, please hurry, they're coming!" **

**"Seth, Seth, open up, help us! Seth, don't leave us out here!" After the cries went ignored for a while, snarls and screams would simulate the demise of the young supplicants. Then a new batch of solicitors began begging for admittance. Perhaps most disconcerting was when Grandpa was inviting them down to breakfast.**

Seth arrived at the gazebo to see Warren's arm around Vanessa's hips. He shuddered and suppressed the urge to vomit in their faces. It was a good thing though that they had their backs turned on him. He scooted forward to see better, careful to avoid the sunlight.

**"We made it, kids, the sun is rising! Come on, Lena cooked hotcakes." **

**"How do we know you're our grandpa?" Kendra asked, more than a little suspicious.**

**"Because I love you. Hurry, the food's getting cold."**

"This monster is probably a Cyclops," Warren murmured in Vanessa's ear. "They can copy different voices rather perfectly."

"Those are the ones with just one eye," Vanessa checked. "Right?"

"Yeah."

Seth tried to stifle a chuckle as Vanessa leaned on Warren's shoulder.

**"I don't think the sun is up yet," Seth replied. **

**"It's just a little cloudy this morning." **

**"Go away," Kendra said. **

**"Just let me in; I want to kiss you good morning." **

**"Our grandpa never kisses us, you sicko," Seth yelled.**

Seth laughed hard, in his mind so no one else can hear. Warren laughed hard, so everyone else can hear, and in the process jerked Vanessa's head off his shoulder. Vanessa looked hurt and sad probably because of what Warren accidentally did. But as he looked at her she changed her previous expression into a more joyous one.

"Seriously," Seth muttered to himself. "It's not as if he didn't see you before."

**"Get out of our house!" **

**The exchange was followed by vicious banging on the door for a solid five minutes. The hinges shook, but the door held. The night wore on. Kendra leaned against the headboard as Seth dozed at her side. Despite the noise, her eyelids began to feel heavy. Suddenly she jerked awake. Gray light was seeping through the curtains. Goldilocks wandered the floor, pecking at kernels from her spilled bucket of feed. When the curtains were masking unmistakable sunlight, Kendra nudged Seth. He looked around, blinking, then crept to the window and peeked out. **

**"The sun is officially up," he announced. "We made it." **

**"I'm scared to go downstairs," whispered Kendra. **

**"Everybody's fine," Seth said nonchalantly. **

**"Then why haven't they come to get us?" Seth had no response. Kendra had gone easy on him during the night. The consequences for opening the window were brutal enough without placing blame and starting arguments. And Seth had really acted remorseful. But now he was reverting to his idiot self. Kendra glared at him. "You realize you might have killed them all." His face fell and he turned away, shoulders shaking with sobs. He buried his face in his hands. **

**"They're probably fine," he squeaked. "Dale had a gun and everything. They know how to handle themselves." **

Seth felt bad. He really was just trying to reassure himself.

**Kendra felt bad, seeing that Seth clearly was worried too. She went to him and tried to give him a hug. He shoved her away. "Leave me alone." **

**"Seth, whatever happened isn't your fault." **

**"Of course it's my fault!" His nose was getting congested. **

**"I mean, they tricked us. I sort of wanted to open the window too, when I saw those wolves charging. You know, in case it wasn't fake." **

**"I knew it might be a trick," he sobbed. "But that baby looked so real. I thought they might have kidnapped him to use him as bait. I thought I could save him." **

**"You were trying to do the right thing." She attempted to hug him once more, but he pushed her away again.**

"Poor Kendra," Vanessa sighed. "She just wanted to be there for her brother."

Yeah poor Kendra, Seth thought to himself. She wanted to embarrass me even though there was no one there.

**"Don't," he snapped. **

**"I didn't mean to blame you," said Kendra. "You were acting like you didn't even care."**

**"Of course I care! You don't think I'm terrified to go down there and find out what I did?" **

**"You didn't do it. They tricked you. I would have opened the window if you hadn't." **

**"If I would have stayed in bed none of it would have happened," Seth lamented.**

**"Maybe they're fine."**

"Warren," Vanessa said, a hint of fear in her voice. "What were you trying to tell me a while ago?"

**"Right. And they let a monster come in the house and up to our door pretending to be Grandpa." **

**"Maybe they had to hide down in the basement or someplace." Seth was no longer crying. He picked up a doll and used her dress to wipe his nose. **

**"I hope so." **

**"Just in case something bad did happen, you can't blame yourself. All you did was open a window. If those monsters did something bad, it's their fault." **

**"Partly."**

Warren took a long time to comprehend the slowly said his answer.

"Vanessa it doesn't matter," he sighed. "I know you don't really love me. I'm sure what Bracken said back at the light house was just to infuriate you or something."

Vanessa looked away. A tear rolled down her left cheek, unnoticed by Warren.

"Of course I don't love you," she said stiffly, which led Warren to believe.

_What the heck? Is Warren that ah... I forgot what you call it, _he thought while absently holding the coin Bracken gave him.

_What happened Seth? _Bracken asked, with a hint of concern. _Is Warren in danger?_

_What? _Seth fumbled with the coin. _Oh it's nothing Bracken._

_Alert me when something is going on._

_Sure will._

_I think Kendra's getting worried about you, she's getting a fever because of it._

_Tell her I'm not worth it._

_That's what I told her, _Bracken said surprised.

_Great minds think alike, _Seth said knowingly.

_Whatever Seth, _Bracken laughed. The connection faded as Seth pocketed the coin.

**"Grandpa and Lena and Dale all know that living here is risky. I'm sure they're fine, but if they aren't, you mustn't blame yourself." **

**"Whatever." **

**"I'm serious." **

**"I like it better when you're funny." **

**"You know what I liked?" Kendra said.**

Vanessa sobbed and jerked against her will. Warren placed a hand on her shoulder. He had been trying to keep his distance from her a while ago.

"Vanessa?"

"Oh, Warren!" she cried, slapping him across the face and dropping the book. "Don't you know how much I love you? Plus, Warren, unicorns don't lie!"

"Vanessa I didn't know."

"Don't tell me you didn't know unicorns don't lie?" she shouted. "Of course I love you! Or are you really just so cold?"

That's what I was thinking, Seth thought. He wanted to tell Warren to man up or something. Warren's always told him that he liked, no, loved Vanessa. Well here's the guys chance and he's chickening out? What the heck is he doing?

"Vanessa wait!" Warren called after her as she ran away from the gazebo. Soon the both of them left the Lake through the archway.

"Aw, darn!" Seth slapped his thigh in complaint. "Vanessa should've read it all first before leaving!" Seth walked over to where the book fell. "Am I really gonna read this?" he asked himself. He picked up the book and said, "Nah, Kendra's not here anyways." He flipped the book open and started reading.

**"What?" **

**"When you saved Goldilocks." He laughed, snorting a little through his stuffy nostrils. **

**"Did you see how bad the salt burned that guy?" He retrieved the doll and wiped his nose again on the dress. **

**"It was really brave." **

**"I'm just glad it worked." **

**"It was quick thinking." Seth glanced at the door and then back at Kendra. **

**"We should probably go check out the damage." **

**"If you say so."**

"Now to find where they are," Seth placed the book gently on the well trimmed grass and jogged out of the Lake's vicinity. He had only jogged a little more than 10 meters away from the archway when he heard Vanessa shout farther off.

"Get away from me Warren!" she shouted. "I don't wanna see you again!"

"Vanessa listen to me," he coaxed in a loud voice.

Seth hurried over to the direction of the voices quarreling. When he arrived at the clearing where he heard the voices he saw Vanessa pinned against a tree.

"I don't love-," was all Seth heard Vanessa shout before Warren placed his lips on hers.

"What the hell?" he yelped. He stood there frozen for a moment as he watched Vanessa's eyes flutter then close and her arms find her way to Warren's neck and wrap them around it while Warren heaved a sigh of relief and wrapped his arms around her hips and hold her closer to him. Seth suppressed the urge to vomit, again, as their lips parted and joined once more. Seth had enough and ran away.

Warren and Vanessa couldn't care less even when Seth yelped and stood there staring at them. Sure Warren had kissed millions err... a few girls before but Vanessa was entirely new to him. Vanessa hadn't kissed anyone before because she turned every lovesick boy down until, that is, she met Warren.

Warren placed pressure on her lips through his tongue. Vanessa wasn't sure what he wanted but she partly opened her mouth. Warren took his chance. Vanessa jerked back. Again Warren tried to coax her and this time she complied without jerking back. They parted and Vanessa placed her forehead against Warren's.

"Admit you liked that," Warren sighed lovingly. Vanessa laughed soon Warren joined in as well.

A/N: Oh my gosh... don't ask me why I wrote it like that a friend of mine asked me to! I can't say anything else but it was very cheesy right? I mean you fight then you make-up. Ah well, I still like Warren and Vanessa though. What happened was still so romantic though. About the drawing guys, I asked someone from a wiki to draw it she draws good and I hope she'll post it soon as well. Remember my PM's down so just tell me what you want to tell me through the reviews. By the way sometime after December 24, 2013 I won't have access to the internet until late January because that's the time I have to take extra classes D:. I'm sorry but I think this is the last chapter I'll post for now, you can hope that there'll be a lot of chapters in January though. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I almost forgot, the one who's drawing the picture had her birthday on December 11, 2013! Happy birthday Sanjee-san! I still need five more reviews to post the next chapter! Please inform me as well if there are any wrong spellings in this chapter and on the others. Also if you wanted to read the first part of this story which is all thanks to 1238904756's efforts just copy this and paste this link on the search bar: s/8109871/1/Fablehaven-reads-Fablehaven. See ya round!


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 11: AFTERMATH

A/N: Because of my absence, I had hoped no one would be too mad and I hope none are. I'm sad to say that the extra classes that I took just proved that I am an idiot, apparently Algebra is not my forte. Also the drawing is not yet available, partly because I asked her to stop drawing it and I wanted her to draw the characters separately first, the first one is Warren. But what am I babbling about? The long awaited five are: MeTheAwesome, Greninja, Gueeeeest, Someone and Guestie. Oh, I love you guys so much! Thanks for reviewing. Now I shall answer the questions before I forget. I will probably do more SethxJuniper or something like that in the coming chapters once I get the idea how. Someone also wanted more Brackendra, especially in the form of *cough* *cough* kissing *cough* but I don't think it's impossible if the mood is set. Also thanks for hoping that I had a good time schooling but I flunked it or at least I think I flunked it. I also decided to no longer use the Gran and Gramps, it is very confusing. Also I think I forgot to say this in the last chapter: thank you, 1238904756! Also one last reminder: Brandon Mull owns Fablehaven! For all the people who read this note to the very end I shall give you a cookie! (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) Looks weird, right? Ah, well, that's my problem.

-_PREVIOUSLY_-

_Warren placed pressure on her lips through his tongue. Vanessa wasn't sure what he wanted but she partly opened her mouth. Warren took his chance. Vanessa jerked back. Again Warren tried to coax her and this time she complied without jerking back. They parted and Vanessa placed her forehead against Warren's._

"_Admit you liked that," Warren sighed lovingly. Vanessa laughed, soon Warren joined in as well._

-_SUBSEQUENTLY_-

Seth didn't stop running. Instead he slowed his pace into a jog. He didn't dare look back. He was pretty sure that nobody wanted having nightmares about 'that'. He took the coin from his pocket. He stopped running for a while.

_Bracken! _He called earnestly. _There's trouble. Big trouble, _he corrected.

_What is it Seth? _Bracken replied.

_Warren's-Warren's-Warren's,_ was all he managed to say.

_Warren's what? _Bracken asked almost desperately. The trio were inseparable friends now. There was no way one would stand down for the other.

_He's infected! _Seth screamed, inside his head.

Did something dangerous bite Warren? He didn't want that happening to anyone, not even the blix. _What bit him? _Hoping that the answers he had in mind would not be the correct answer.

Seth started running again, afraid to be seen by the couple he just ran away from. _The narcoblix bit him!_

_What? _Bracken asked in disbelief. Was the blix trying to turn sides again?

_Ah..., _Seth explained. _It's hard to explain._

_Get to the main house. Quick._

_Sure thing._

Juniper looked out from the hole in the pine tree which she called home. It was getting dark. She loved the dark which made her a very strange fairy. She had no friends except for Shiara, the most respected and approachable fairy in all of Fablehaven. Plus, one of the reasons she liked the dark was because in the dark she can't be seen by any mortal or other creature asides from the fairies. There were different species of fairies all over the world. Jinn harps, albino fairies, garden fairies which were the most abundant and had many subspecies, fountain sprites and more. She was a night fairy, the kind that disappeared from view if untouched by the sun's light. Although they didn't specifically dislike the light, most of her kind liked the light. But Juniper wasn't one of them. She flitted out of the hole, made a somersault and zipped away. She wasn't going to a specific destination she just wanted to roam the woods then she crashed into something.

"Ouch!" Seth cried as he rubbed his cheek almost as the same time Juniper shrieked.

"Agh!" she yelled as she tried to regain her balance in midair.

Seth tensed. "Who's there?" he called. "Friend or foe?"

"Watch where you're going!" she shouted as she straightened her dress. "You al–," she stopped short as she realized who she was talking to.

"You sound like a fairy," he deduced from the small melodic voice which wasn't the least bit chirpy. "I can't see you. Am I starting to get blind?" Juniper looked around for a sunbeam. There was none.

"I'm over here," she tried, trying to make her voice louder.

"Where?" Seth poked the air in front of him. He touched the fairy and for an instant he saw her then jerked his hand back.

"What the heck?" he shouted. Juniper alighted on his hand. Now, she was in plain view.

"I-I-I know you!" he exclaimed after a moment of silence.

Juniper looked astonished. "What are you?"

"A shadow charmer."

"I see."

"Why didn't I see you a while ago?"

"That's a secret. But your shadow charmer abilities made it possible for you to see me when I touched you."

"You look pretty," Seth looked at her dress.

Juniper looked away and flew off. "See you."

"Hey wait," he called. "Which way did you go?" He couldn't see her anymore. Seth thought fairies liked being called pretty. He needed to befriend the fairies. He didn't want to be warring with them if he was gonna be caretaker. If you're gonna be caretaker, Seth thought about Kendra telling him exactly that. Then he remembered he needed to get to the house. He started running again then slowed to a stop.

"The book!" he slapped his face for not bringing it with him earlier. He ran back to the lake in a matter of minutes. He saw satyrs playing tackle-tag around the gazebos. Fairies glided above the naiad pond, a few approached him. They chirped excitedly and studied his face. Some stroked his hair from behind.

"Ah...," he said uncomfortably and some fairies backed away. "Have you seen a book?" A fairy whistled and others picked up the book that was a few meters away. They gave it to him.

"Hey thanks," he smiled. "Well, I hope we're friends then." Most of the fairies nodded their heads earnestly while the others shyly hung their heads. That was quick, he thought. He ran towards the archway and took the path going to the house.

"Seth's here," Bracken announced as he saw Seth approach the back porch. Soon Seth was at the attic door, knocking noisily.

"Come in," Kendra called. "Are you okay?" Seth entered the room and walked over to his bed and fell down face first onto his pillows. Bracken walked over to him.

"I think he wants to rest for a while," Bracken said as he took the book from Seth. "Here Kendra."

"Thank you Bracken," she propped herself up with her pillows, the fever was gone but it had made her a little nauseated so she had a hard time doing it.

"Here let me help," Bracken adjusted the pillows and gave her the book. She started reading to herself as her brother dozed off.

**Kendra knew it would be bad the moment she opened the door. Ragged gouges furrowed the walls of the stairwell. Crude pictograms defaced the far side of the door, along with an abundance of less orderly nicks and scratches. Near the base of the stairs, a crusty brown substance was smeared on the wall. **

**"I'm grabbing some salt," Seth said. **

**He returned to the ring around the bed and filled his hands and pockets with the salt that had scorched the intruder the night before. When Seth rejoined her, Kendra started down the stairs. The steps creaked loudly in the quiet house. The hall at the bottom was worse than the stairway. Again the walls had been savagely raked by claws. The bathroom door was off its hinges and had three splintery holes of different sizes. Patches of carpeting were burned and stained. Kendra moved down the hall, appalled by the aftermath of the violent night. A smashed mirror. A broken light fixture. A table reduced to kindling. And at the end of the hall, a gaping rectangle instead of a window. **

**"Looks like they let others in," Kendra said, pointing down the hall. Seth was examining singed hairs in a damp stain on the floor. **

**"Grandpa?" he yelled. "Anybody!" The silence was an ominous answer. **

**Kendra descended the stairs to the entry hall. Sections of the banister were gone. The front door hung askew, an arrow protruding from the frame. Primitive drawings marred the walls, some scored, others scrawled. In a trance, Kendra roamed the lower rooms of the house. The place had been gutted. Almost all the windows were destroyed. Battered doors lay far from their frames. Mutilated furniture bled stuffing onto mangled carpeting. Shredded drapes dangled in tattered ribbons. Chandeliers lay in shattered ruins. Half of one charred sofa was entirely missing. Kendra wandered to the back porch. Wind chimes lay in tangles. The furniture was scattered around the garden. A broken rocking chair balanced atop a fountain. A wicker love seat protruded from a hedge. Back in the house, Kendra found Seth in Grandpa's office. It looked as if an anvil had fallen on the desk. Pulverized memorabilia littered the floor. **

Someone knocked on the door. Kendra looked up as Bracken stood up and opened the it.

"Dinner's ready," Grandpa Sorenson said, stepping into the room. When no one made a move to get out of the room he said, "How about you Kendra?"

"I'm fine thanks," Kendra smiled dizzily.

"Bracken?"

"I'm staying here in case she gets dizzy again," Bracken looked at her. "Even with my healing powers her fever and just keeps on coming back again and again. It's rather strange though, I think she's worried about something."

"Seth?" Seth groaned. "Well I guess it's just me, Dale and Warren eating pork chop tonight."

Seth sat up on his bed. "Pork chop? Can I come?"

Grandpa laughed heartily. "I knew that would get you out of bed. Come on." Seth ran past Grandpa and sprinted down the stairs.

"I think I might as well get Kendra some food," Bracken pocketed his hands and headed towards the door.

"That reminds me," Grandpa scratched his chin. "Where are Warren and Vanessa?"

"We don't know," Bracken and Kendra replied. "But maybe Seth does." With that Grandpa and Bracken left the room. Kendra was all by herself. She started reading again.

**"Everything's trashed," Seth said. **

**"It looks like a demolition team came through here with sledgehammers." **

**"Or hand grenades." **

Kendra smiled. Her brother had always been an idiot.

**Seth indicated where tar appeared to have been slopped against the wall. "Is that blood?" **

**"It looks too dark to be human." **

**Seth picked his way around the splintered desk to the empty window. "Maybe they got out." **

**"I hope so." **

**"Out on the lawn," Seth said. "Is that a person?" **

**Kendra approached the window. "Dale?" she shouted. The prone figure did not move.**

**"Come on," Seth said, hurrying through the wreckage. Kendra followed him out the front door and around to the side of the house. They dashed over to the figure lying supine near an overturned birdbath. **

**"Oh, no," Seth said. **

**It was a painted statue of Dale. A faithful replica, except the paint was more simplified than his actual coloring would have been. His head was turned to one side, eyes squinted shut, arms raised protectively. The proportions were exact. He was wearing the same outfit he had worn the previous night. Kendra touched the figure. It was made of metal, clothes and all. Bronze, maybe? Lead? Steel? She rapped her knuckles against the forearm. Sounded solid. No hollow ringing. **

**"They turned him into a statue," Seth said. **

**"You think it's really him?" **

**"It has to be!" **

**"Help me flip him over." Both of them strained, but Dale did not budge. He was way too heavy. **

**"I really blew it," Seth said, palms pressed against his temples. "What have I done?" **

**"Maybe we can change him back." Seth kneeled down and put his mouth to Dale's ear.**

**"If you can hear me, give us a sign!" he yelled. The metallic figure made no response. **

**"Do you think Grandpa and Lena are around here too?" Kendra asked. **

**"We'll have to look." **

**Kendra cupped her hands around her mouth. "Grandpa! Grandpa Sorenson! Lena! Can you hear me?" **

**"Look at this," Seth said, crouching beside the overturned birdbath. The birdbath had tipped over toward a flowerbed. In the flowerbed was a clear footprint–three large toes and a narrow heel. The print was big enough to suggest that it came from a creature at least the size of a grown man. **

**"Giant bird?"**

Kendra heard the shingles on the roof clatter. Something huge had just landed. Kendra eased herself out of the bed and left the book on her pillow. She took dizzy steps to the nearest window from her bed. It was the same window that Ephira had tried to use to enter their silver flashed before her eyes. Soon she was face to face with a dragon.

"Hi Kendra!" he greeted.

"Why hello Raxtus!" she smiled. "I didn't realize you were gone after I read, you were so quiet." Then a wave of nausea washed over her and she gripped the windowsill to keep her balance.

Raxtus breathed on the window creating a foggy membrane that distorted his vision. "A-a-are you alright?" he asked. "The Fairy Queen asked me to see if you were doing fine. Bracken had sent her messages about your condition. She says if you don't get better soon she'll come here herself to try and cure you."

"Tell the Queen that I appreciate her concern," Kendra tried to nod, only to grip the windowsill again. "But my condition is related to something that has been troubling me lately. When I figure it out, this will all be gone soon enough."

"I see," Raxtus nodded. "Well I have to go. My dad's waiting for me. He said someone very important was coming. I'll try to be here tomorrow in case, well, if anyone's reading."

"See you." Raxtus disappeared from view but she took the whooshing of the wind as the signal that he had taken off. She returned to her bed and continued reading.

**"Check out the hole behind the heel." He stuck a finger into a nickel-sized hole. "A couple inches deep." **

**"Weird." **

**Seth acted excited. "It has a pointy thing on the back of its heel, a spur or something."**

**"Which means what?" **

**"We can probably track it." **

**"Track it?" Seth moved forward in the direction the toes pointed, scanning the ground.**

**"See!" He crouched, pointing at a hole in the lawn. "That spur digs deep. It should leave a clear trail." **

**"And what happens if you catch up to whatever made the tracks?" **

**He patted his pockets. "I throw some salt and rescue Grandpa." **

**"How do you know it took Grandpa?" **

**"I don't," he admitted. "But it's a start." **

**"What if it turns you into a painted statue?" **

**"I won't look directly at it. Just in mirrors." **

**"Where'd you get that from?" **

**"History."**

Kendra remembered when she told Seth about the snake-haired woman from Greek mythology. Her kind were called gorgons and her name was Medusa, right? Seth probably only remembered the part that her gaze would turn you to stone but not painted statues.

**"You don't even know what you're talking about," Kendra said. **

**"We'll see about that. I better get my camo shirt." **

**"First let's make sure there aren't any other statues in the yard." **

**"Fine, then I'm out of here. I don't want the trail getting cold." After scouring the yard for half an hour, Kendra and Seth had come across various articles of furniture from the house or porch in unexpected locations, but they had found no other life-sized painted statues. They ended up by the swimming pool. **

**"Have you noticed the butterflies?" Kendra asked. **

**"Yeah." **

**"Anything special about them?" Seth slapped his forehead with the heel of his hand.**

**"We haven't had milk today!"**

Brackenentered the room with a tray laden with food. "I thought I heard you talking to someone."

"I was," Kendra replied, looking up from the book and she saw Bracken's astonished face. "It was just Raxtus. He brought greetings from the Fairy Queen."

"What did Mother say?" he asked, setting the tray on the nightstand.

"She said she's concerned about my condition," Kendra looked at the bowl of oatmeal sprinkled with cinnamon powder, sugar and corn bits.

Bracken sat on the left edge of her bed, "Well how are you feeling? Has the fever come back yet?"

"No I'm just a little dizzy," Kendra looked at Bracken who sat nearer to her if she reached out she would be able to touch his face. She looked at her book.

**"Yep. No fairies, just bugs." **

**"If those fairies are smart, they won't show their faces around here," growled Seth.**

**"Yeah, you'll show them. What do you want to be this time? A giraffe?" **

**"None of this would have happened if they had kept guarding the window." **

**"You did torture one of them," Kendra pointed out. **

**"They tortured me back! We're even."**

"Uhm...," Bracken began uncomfortably. "Aren't you gonna eat? I brought it for you."

"No thanks," she answered without looking up from the book and she heard Bracken sigh. "But for you I will."

Bracken smiled, took a spoon and scooped some oatmeal with it. "Say I..."

Kendra laughed. "I'm not a baby you know." But she said the word anyway and let Bracken spoon-feed her.

"Now say love," Bracken prodded her mouth with the spoon. "Come on, please?"

Kendra gave him a confused look and rolled her eyes playfully. "Love."

"You," Bracken popped the spoon into her mouth. "Say you..."

"You?" Bracken popped more oatmeal into her mouth.

Bracken smiled. "I love you, Kendra." Kendra thought he was so cute.

"Bracken, I-I-I," Kendra sputtered, choking on her oatmeal. "I love you." Bracken looked at her sheepishly. Kendra pointed at her throat.

"S-s-sorry!" he jumped up and poured her a glass of water. "Here," Kendra took it gratefully and drank. They laughed.

**"Whatever we do, we should drink some milk first." They went into the house. The refrigerator was lying on its side. Together they pried the door open. Some of the milk bottles had broken, but a few were intact. Kendra grabbed one, uncapped it, and took a sip. Seth drank next. **

**"I need my stuff," he said, bolting for the stairs. Kendra started searching for clues. Wouldn't Grandpa have tried to leave them a message? Maybe there hadn't been time. She walked through the rooms, but encountered no hints to explain the fate of either Lena or Grandpa. Seth showed up in his camouflage shirt, carrying the cereal box. **

**"I was trying to find that shotgun. You haven't seen it?" **

**"Nope. There's an arrow by the front door. You could toss that at the monster." **

**"I think I'll stick with the salt."**

"You don't want to eat anymore?"

"Maybe later after I finish this chapter," Kendra said flipping to the next page.

**"We never checked the basement," Kendra said. **

**"Worth a try." They opened the door by the kitchen and stared down into the gloom. Kendra realized it was just about the only undamaged door in the house. Stone steps led into the darkness. **

**"How about that flashlight?" Kendra said. **

**"No light switch?" he asked. They couldn't find one. He rummaged in the cereal box and withdrew the flashlight. With some salt from his pocket clutched in one hand and the flashlight in the other, Seth led the way. It was a longer flight than would ordinarily lead to a basement–more than twenty steep stairs. At the bottom the flashlight beam illuminated a short, barren hallway ending at an iron door. They walked to the door. It had a keyhole below the handle. Seth tugged the handle, but the door was locked. There was a small hatch at the base of the door. **

**"What's this?" he asked. **

**"It's for brownies, so they can come in and fix stuff." **

**He pushed open the hatch. "Grandpa! Lena! Anybody!" They waited in vain for a reply. He called once more before standing and shining his light into the keyhole. **

**"None of your keys would fit this?" he asked. **

**"They're way too small." **

**"There might be a key stashed in Grandpa's bedroom." **

**"If they were down here, I think they'd answer." Kendra and Seth started back up the stairs. At the top, they heard a loud, deep groan that lasted at least ten seconds. The penetrating sound came from outside. It was much too powerful to have been made by a human. They raced to the back porch. The groan had ended. It was difficult to say from which direction it had originated. They waited, looking around, expecting a recurrence of the unusual sound. After a tense minute or two, Kendra broke the silence.**

"So," Kendra said closing the book while folding the page she was reading. "Do you go to school?"

"Kendra," Bracken chuckled. "We go to the same school."

Her mom and dad had given up homeschooling her and Seth, it was too hard. Plus, Seth had a stash of gold to pay for the expenses. Although, that was with Grandpa's consent of course. She, Seth and Bracken went to Trinity-Crest High School together. It was a public school but who cared. Each had a reason for going to school. Seth wanted more friends his age. Kendra wanted to finish her studies. Bracken wanted to learn more about the human world by experience.

"Yeah but I hardly see you," she pouted.

"It's probably because Seth and I are playing football with the other guys," Bracken explained. "He's getting better at it. He might want to challenge the satyrs again."

"Mhmm?" Kendra said to turn him back on track.

"I see you every time at the cafeteria," Bracken reminded her. "We even eat together." Kendra blushed at the thought. She remembered the evil looks some of the girls had given her. She also remembered when one of the girls tried to trip her. Bracken caught her and the food tray she was holding without fail. It was a relief but also slightly embarrassing and romantic. Thank his keen reflexes.

"I know," Kendra said, looking away. She opened the book again and started reading as Bracken sat next to her and read the book quietly like she did.

**"What was it?" **

**"I bet it was whatever has Grandpa and Lena," Seth said. "And it didn't sound too far off." **

**"It sounded big." **

**"Yeah." **

**"Like whale big." **

**"We have the salt," Seth reminded her. "We need to follow that trail." **

**"Are you sure that's a good idea?" **

**"You have a better one?" **

**"I don't know. Wait and see if they show up? Maybe they'll escape." **

**"If that hasn't happened by now, it isn't going to. We'll be careful, and we'll make sure to get back before dark. We'll be fine. We have the salt. That stuff works like acid." **

**"If something goes wrong, who saves us?" Kendra asked. **

**"You don't have to come. But I'm going." Seth hurried down the porch steps and started across the yard. **

**Kendra reluctantly followed. She wasn't sure how they would pull off a rescue if scalding the monster with salt failed, but Seth was right about one thing–they couldn't just abandon Grandpa. Kendra caught up with Seth at the flowerbed where they had originally found the prints. Combing through the grass together, they followed a series of nickel-sized holes across the lawn. The holes were spaced roughly five feet apart and followed a generally straight line, passing the barn and eventually leaving the yard along a narrow path into the woods. No longer obscured by grass, the tracks were even easier to follow. They passed a couple of intersecting paths, but the way was always certain. The prints of whatever creature had left the holes were unmistakable. They made rapid progress. Kendra remained alert, searching the trees for mythical beasts, but spotted nothing more spectacular than a goldfinch and some chipmunks. **

**"I'm starving," Seth announced. **

**"I'm okay. I'm getting sleepy, though." **

**"Just don't think about it." **

**"My throat is getting sore," Kendra went on. **

**"You know, we've been up almost thirty hours." **

**"I'm not that tired," Seth said. "Just hungry. We should have foraged for food in the pantry. It can't all be smashed."**

Seth opened the door and slammed it shut. "Something bad happened,"he burped then he looked, bewildered, at the two of them sitting together rather comfortably with Bracken's right arm wrapped around Kendra's waist. "Were you guys smooching?" he asked accusingly.

"No!" Kendra yelled. "What is going on in that head of yours?"

"Nothing," he lied. "But something really bad happened."

"Have a seat Seth," Bracken unwrapped his arm around Kendra and patted the space on the bed near him.

Seth sat down and looked at them with huge eyes. "Vanessa bit Warren."

"You're crazy Seth," Kendra sighed and read the book while Bracken and Seth discussed things. She occasionally heard bits and pieces.

**"We must not be too hungry if we didn't think about it at the time." **

**Suddenly Seth stopped short. "Uh-oh." **

**"What?" Seth went several paces forward. Leaning close to the ground, he worked his way back past Kendra. He went forward again more slowly, kicking aside any leaves or branches on the trail. Kendra realized the problem before Seth vocalized it. **

**"No more holes." She helped scan the ground. They both scrutinized the same segment of the path multiple times before Seth began to search off the trail. **

**"This could be bad," he said. **

**"There's a lot of undergrowth," Kendra agreed. **

**"If we could even find one hole, we'd know which direction it went." **

**"If it left the path, we'll never be able to follow it." Seth crawled on hands and knees along the edge of the path, sifting through the mulch beneath the undergrowth. Kendra picked up a stick and used it to poke around. **

**"Don't make any holes," Seth cautioned. **

**"I'm just moving leaves." **

**"You could do it with your hands." **

**"If I wanted bug bites and a rash."**

"I'm serious she definitely bit him," Seth argued.

"Seth I'm telling you," Bracken sighed, exasperated. "It's different."

"Seriously they were all like fighting and then all of a sudden boom!" Seth made dramatic gestures with his hands especially at the boom part where he shot his hands up into the air.

"Seth it's called..." Kendra didn't hear that part anymore.

**"Hey, this is it." He showed Kendra a hole about five feet from the last one on the path. "It turned left." **

**"Diagonally." She made a line with her hand connecting the two dots and continuing into ****the woods. **

**"But it might have turned more," Seth said. "We should find another one." Finding the next hole took almost fifteen minutes. It proved that the creature had indeed turned almost directly to the left, perpendicular to the path. **

**"What if it kept turning?" Kendra said. **

**"It would sort of be backtracking if it turned more." **

**"Maybe it wanted to throw off pursuit." Seth went forward five feet and found the next hole almost instantly. It confirmed that the new course was perpendicular to the trail.**

"You're kidding me!" Seth blurted.

"I'm not and you know that," Bracken chastised. "Why would I lie?"

"As if that is true," Seth leaned forward. "You're probably trying to fool me, right? I mean you're probably immune to guilt, you know, like me."

"Seth," Bracken reminded him. "You're immune to magical fear and guilt. Not just plain fear or guilt. I'm also a unicorn."

"I still don't get why..." Kendra didn't hear that part again.

**"The undergrowth isn't as bad here," Seth said. **

**"Seth, it would take all day to track it twenty paces." **

**"I don't mean to track it. Just to walk in this direction for a while. Maybe it will intersect a trail and we can pick up tracks again. Or maybe it lives not much farther ahead." Kendra put a hand in her pocket, feeling for salt. **

**"I don't like the idea of leaving the trail." **

**"Me neither. We won't go far. But this thing seems to like trails. It followed one all this way. We may be close to a discovery. It's worth going a little ways just to check."**

Warren entered the room with Vanessa, his right arm wrapped around her waist. "Guess what guys?" Warren asked, sounding like he had an answer in mind.

Kendra looked up, she had a feeling it had something to do with love, Warren and Vanessa judging from Seth and Bracken's conversation. "What?"

"We're official," Vanessa squealed, apparently unable to contain her excitement.

"That's great!" Kendra said, tossing the book into the air and jumping out of bed, her nausea gone.

"Wow," Bracken remarked. "She hadn't had the energy to move until now."

"Told you he got bitten," Seth muttered dejectedly.

"I think the word you're looking for is smitten," Warren laughed.

Vanessa pinched Warren's cheek. "I didn't bite him. Well maybe a little but he tastes so good." Seth, Kendra and Bracken gave confused, disgusted looks.

"You taste even better," Warren leaned in closer to her, moving aside a stray stand of hair. Was that lust in his voice? Seth shivered at the thought.

"Hmph," Vanessa harrumphed, turning her back on Warren. "You were the one poking around my mouth first."

"But you liked that," Warren whined as he hugged her from behind.

"Uhm," Kendra stuck a finger into the air. "Shouldn't you stop doing that in public?"

"Yeah, right." Warren said, looking at Vanessa.

"Well, I hope you guys had a nice dinner without us." Vanessa left.

"By the way Seth come here," Warren motioned him forward.

"What do you want?" Seth asked suspiciously while Kendra picked her book up, sat down on the bed with Bracken and started reading. "You're not gonna turn me all evil like you and Vanessa right?"

**Kendra stared at her brother. "Okay, and what if we run into a cave?"**

"Seth," Warren sighed, exasperated. "You don't get it do you?"

**"We take a look." **

"What? That you're infected?"

**"What if we hear breathing coming from the cave?" **

"No. Let's see... look at Bracken and Kendra over there."

**"You don't have to go in. I'll look myself. The point is finding Grandpa." **

"Why? What's wrong with them?"

**Kendra bit her tongue. She almost said that if they found him out here, it would probably be in pieces.**

"They're a couple."

**"Okay, just a little ways."**

"Disgusting," Kendra eyed Seth warily. This brother of hers was getting on her nerves.

**They walked in a straight line away from**** the path. They kept scanning the ground, but noticed no more holes.**

"Do you know what makes them a couple?"

**Before long they crossed a dry, rocky streambed. Not far beyond, they wandered into a little meadow. The brush and wildflowers in the meadow grew nearly waist high. **

"They're both related to the Fairy Queen?" Seth attempted.

**"I don't see any other trails," Kendra said. "Or any monster houses." **

"Ugh... try again?"

**"Let's take a good look around the meadow," said Seth. **

"What they're both fairy-unicorn or something?"

**He made a complete search of the perimeter of the meadow, finding neither holes nor trails. **

"Love, Seth."

**"Let's face it," Kendra said. "If we try to go any farther, we'll be wandering blind."**

"Uh-huh and that's what?"

**"What about climbing that hill?" Seth suggested, indicating the highest point visible from the meadow, less than a quarter-mile away. **

"No matter how long you hide, love will always find you. Look at Bracken do you even know how long he's been around here?" Bracken looked down, redness creeping onto his face.

**"If I were going to make a home around here, it would be over there. Plus, if we get up there, we'll have a better view of the area. These trees make it hard to see." **

"You don't know what you're saying!" Seth argued.

**Kendra pressed her lips together. The hill was not steep; it would be easy to climb. And it was not too far away. **

"Probably but at least I know I'm in love," Warren said as he closed the door. "Love will find you Seth."

**"If we don't find anything there, we go back?"**

"Whatever."

**"Deal." They marched toward the hill, which was along a different line from the course they had originally taken from the path. As they picked their way through denser underbrush, a twig snapped off to one side. They paused, listening.**

Kendra closed the book. "So many interruptions, I can hardly read." She had listened to the conversation while trying to read the book and at some point the book and the conversation had somehow blended in a way she did not like.

"You wanna eat now?" Bracken held up a spoonful of the now cold oatmeal.

"Sure."

"Everywhere I go there's either someone smooching or hugging or something," Seth buried his face in his palms. "I'm going, before I vomit in your faces. I can't believe it my two best friends..." his sentence trailed off as he left. They heard him descend the stairs

"Seth's such a killjoy," Kendra leaned against Bracken.

"You only know the half of it," Bracken said, popping the spoon into her mouth.

Kendra grabbed the spoon. "You keep on feeding me. Aren't you hungry yourself?"

"Who me? Nah, I'm fine."

"I insist come on," Kendra scooped some oatmeal. "Open wide."

"I'm no baby," Bracken evaded the jab to his mouth.

"I'll make you eat this anyway," Kendra took hold of Bracken's shoulder and pinned him down. "Eat up."

"I love you so much," Kendra popped the spoon into his mouth, cutting him off guard.

"I love you too," Kendra buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"You think we can stay like this forever?" Bracken closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Kendra.

"I'm not immortal you know," Kendra reminded him.

"You're ruining the mood," Bracken sighed. Kendra pushed herself off Bracken.

"Just eat," Kendra said, scooping another spoonful. "Here."

Bracken made a devastatingly handsome pout. "Do I have to?"

"Yes," Kendra said, popping the spoon into his mouth. "Don't try buttering me up." After a few more bites, even Kendra had a few bites, Bracken accidentally spilled some oatmeal on her.

"Agh!" Kendra exclaimed. "Bracken."

"I'm sorry," he moved over to try to wipe the oatmeal but he accidentally knocked over the bowl of oatmeal spilling it on the both of them. "Terribly sorry."

"It's alright," Kendra said, fingering a glob of oatmeal on Bracken's face then licking her fingers.

Bracken smiled. She looked away and blushed. Bracken held her chin and made her look his way again. Kendra looked into his eyes: deep, dark, kind, trustworthy, loving, mesmerizing, hopeful and so full of life. He pulled her face closer to his. When their lips were a fraction of an inch apart, Bracken stopped, unsure of what to do. Kendra felt his hands go slack. They both pulled away at the same time. They searched the room with their eyes not wanting to meet each other's gaze. Seth opened the door.

Seth looked at the oatmeal and the tray of food. "You guys had a food fight?"

They shook their heads.

"Anyway," Seth started walking to his bed, uneasiness in his tone. "Your mom sent for you Bracken. Gilgarol's waiting for you outside the front porch."

"Thank you for having me over," Bracken stood and left, there was no rush in his movements but Kendra felt certain he didn't want to be there right now.

When Seth was sure Bracken was out of earshot he asked Kendra, "What happened to you guys?"

"None of your business," she replied sternly, wiping the remnants of oatmeal off her shirt with a napkin.

"Whatever," Kendra opened the book and sighed.

**"I'm getting pretty nervous," Kendra said softly. **

**"We're fine. Probably just a falling pinecone." Kendra tried to push away images of the pallid woman with the swirling black garments. The thought of her made Kendra freeze. If she saw her out in the woods, Kendra worried she would just curl up in a ball on the ground and let herself be taken. **

**"I'm losing track of which way we're going," she said. Back under the trees, the line of sight to both hill and meadow was disrupted. **

**"I have my compass." **

**"So if all else fails, we can find the North Pole." **

**"The trail we followed went northwest," Seth assured her. "Then we left it going southwest. The hill is to the west, the meadow is east." **

**"That's pretty good." **

**"The only trick is paying attention." Before long, the trees were thinning and they were walking up the hill. With the trees farther apart, the underbrush grew higher and the bushes bigger. Kendra and Seth wound their way up the moderate slope toward the crest. **

**"Do you smell that?" Seth asked. **

**Kendra stopped. "Like somebody cooking." The smell was faint but, now that she noticed it, distinct. Kendra studied the area with sudden alarm. **

**"Oh my gosh," she said, crouching down. **

**"What?" **

**"Get down." Seth knelt beside her. Kendra pointed toward the crest of the hill. Off to one side rose a feeble column of smoke–a thin, wavering distortion.**

Was Bracken's love for her like that? A thin, waveringdistortion? Nothing but a fairytale? Impossible, Bracken loved her and she knew that. But why did he stop that kiss? The timing was so perfect, he looked so ready. Or was it? Was he? How about her? Was she ready for that kind of thing? She had never kissed anyone before with the exception of Warren and that was peck and it was also needed. Had Bracken kissed someone before? Probably, he was handsome maybe he had kissed dozens of fairies, dryads, hamadryads, naiads or other unicorns, maybe even other mortals. Kendra stopped her train of thoughts. I'm just being crazy that's all, she thought.

**"Yeah," he whispered. "We may have found it." Again she had to bite her tongue. **

**She hoped someone wasn't cooking Grandpa. "What do we do?" **

**"Stay here," said Seth. "I'll go check it out." **

**"I don't want to stay alone." **

**"Then follow me, but stay back a bit. We don't want to both get caught at the same time. Keep salt ready." **

**Kendra did not need that reminder. Her only worry about the salt was that her sweaty hands were going to turn it to paste. Seth crept ahead, staying low, using the bushes for cover, gradually making his way toward the meager line of smoke. Kendra imitated his movements, impressed that his hours of playing army were finally paying off. Even as she followed him, she struggled to come to terms with what they were doing. Sneaking up on a monster cookout was among the activities she could do without. Shouldn't they be sneaking away? The trembling shaft of smoke grew nearer. Seth waved her up to him. She huddled beside him behind a wide bush twice her height, trying to breathe quietly. **

**He put his lips to her ear. "I'll be able to see what's going on when I get around this bush. I'll try to yell if I get captured or anything. Be ready." **

**She put her mouth to his ear. "If you play a trick on me, I promise I will kill you, I really will." **

**"I won't. I'm scared too." He slunk forward. Kendra tried to calm herself. Waiting was torture. She considered moving around the bush to take a peek, but could not muster the courage. The silence was good, right? Unless they had stealthily dropped Seth with a poison dart. The pause stretched mercilessly. Then she heard Seth coming back less carefully than he had left. **

**When he came around the bush, he was walking upright, saying, "Come here, you have to see this." **

**"What is it?" **

**"Nothing scary." She went around the bush with him, still tense. Up ahead, in a clear area near the summit of the hill, she saw the source of the thin smoke–a waist-high cylinder of stone with a wooden windlass and a dangling bucket. **

**"A well?" **

**"Yeah. Come smell." They walked to the well. Even up close, the rising smoke remained vapory and indistinct. Kendra leaned over, staring down into the deep darkness. **

**"Smells good." **

**"Like soup," Seth said. "Meat, veggies, spices." **

**"Am I just hungry? It smells delicious." **

**"I think so too. Should we try some?" **

**"Lower the bucket?" Kendra asked skeptically.**

**"Why not?" Seth replied. **

**"There could be creatures down there." **

**"I don't think so," he said. **

**"You think it's just a well full of stew," Kendra scoffed. **

**"We are on a magical preserve." **

**"As far as we know it could be poisonous." **

**"It can't hurt to take a look," Seth insisted. **

**"I'm starving. Besides, not everything here is bad. I bet this is where fairy people come for dinner. See, it even has a crank." He began turning the windlass, spooling the bucket down into the darkness. **

**"I'm staying on lookout," said Kendra. **

**"Good idea." **

**Kendra felt exposed. They were far enough from the summit that she could not see anything on the far side of the hill, but they were high enough that she commanded an expansive view of trees and terrain when she looked down the slope. With little cover surrounding the well, she worried that unseen eyes might be spying from the foliage below. Seth continued unwinding the rope, sending the bucket ever deeper. Eventually he heard it wetly hit bottom. The rope slackened a bit. After a moment he began winding the bucket back up. **

**"Hurry," Kendra said. **

**"I am. This thing is deep." **

**"I'm worried everything in the forest can see us." **

**"Here it comes." He stopped cranking and pulled the bucket up the last few feet by hand, setting it on the lip of the well. Kendra joined him. Inside the wooden bucket, bits of meat, cut carrots, potato fragments, and onion floated in a fragrant yellow broth.**

Kendra's stomach growled. She hadn't really had a good meal although the oatmeal had tasted pretty good with Bracken feeding her. She grabbed an apple from her nightstand and bit into it.

"Can you turn off the lights?" Seth groaned from under his sheets and pillows so his voice sounded muffled. "I mean you have a nightlight, please?"

"Wow, the great Seth says please," Kendra mocked. "It is an honor."

"Just shut up and turn the lights off," Seth grunted. "I'm sleepy."

"Okay," Kendra stood up and turned off the lights. "Mister Bossy."

"Thanks," Kendra went back to her bed and turned on the nightlight.

**"Looks like a normal stew," Kendra said. **

**"Better than normal. I'm trying some." **

**"Don't!" she warned. **

**"Lighten up." He tweezed out a piece of dripping meat and tried it. "Good!" he announced. He plucked out a potato and offered a similar report. Tipping the bucket, he slurped some of the broth. **

**"Amazing!" he said. "You have to try it." **

**From behind the same bush they had used as their final hiding place when approaching the well, a creature emerged. From the waist up, he was a shirtless man with an exceptionally hairy chest and a pair of pointy horns above his forehead. From waist down he had the legs of a shaggy goat. Wielding a knife, the satyr charged straight at them. Both Kendra and Seth turned in alarm at the sound of his hooves racing up the slope. **

**"Salt, "Seth blurted, dipping into his pockets. As she fumbled for salt, Kendra dashed around the well, placing it between herself and the attacker. Not Seth. He stood his ground, and when the satyr was a couple of steps away, he flung a fistful of salt at the goatman. The satyr stopped short, obviously surprised by the cloud of salt. Seth threw a second handful, groping in his pockets for more. The salt failed to spark or sizzle. Instead, the satyr appeared bewildered. **

**"What are you doing?" he asked in a hushed tone. **

**"I could ask you the same question," Seth replied. **

**"No you can't. You're spoiling our operation." **

Kendra nearly choked on her apple. She was laughing.

**The satyr lunged past Seth and slashed the rope with his knife. "She's coming." **

**"Who?" **

**"I'd save the questions for later," the satyr said. **

**He wound the rope until it was tight around the windlass, seized the bucket, and started down the hill, spilling soup as he went. From the far side of the hill, Kendra heard foliage rustling and branches crunching. She and Seth followed the satyr. The satyr slid into the bush Kendra had crouched behind earlier. Kendra and Seth dove in alongside him. An instant after they ducked out of sight, a bulky, hideous woman lumbered into view and approached the well. She had a broad, flat face with saggy earlobes that hung almost to her hefty shoulders. Her misshapen bosom drooped inside a coarse, homespun tunic. Her avocado skin had a ridged texture like corduroy, her graying hair was shaggy and matted, and her build bordered on obese. The well barely came to her knees, making her considerably taller than Hugo. She waddled from side to side as she walked, and she was breathing heavily through her mouth. Bending over, she pawed at the well, stroking the wooden frame. **

**"The ogress can't see much," the satyr whispered. When he said it, the ogress jerked her head up. She yammered something in a guttural language. Shambling a couple of steps away from the well, she squatted down and sniffed at the ground where Seth had thrown his salt. **

**"There been peoples here," she accused in a husky, accented voice. "Where you peoples be?" The satyr placed a finger against his lips. Kendra held perfectly still, trying to breathe softly despite her alarm. She tried to plan which direction she would run. The ogress lumbered down the slope toward their hiding place, sniffing high and low. **

**"I heard peoples. I smell peoples. And I smell my stew. Peoples been at my stew again. You come out now to apologize." The satyr shook his head, slitting his throat with a finger for emphasis. Seth slid a hand into a pocket. The satyr touched his wrist and shook his head with a scowl. The ogress had already closed half the distance to the bush. **

**"You peoples like my stew so much, maybe you take a bath in it." **

**Kendra resisted the urge to bolt. The ogress would be on them in moments. But the satyr seemed to know what he was doing. He held up a hand, tacitly signaling for them to keep still. Without warning, something began crashing through the bushes about twenty yards to their right. The ogress pivoted and stumbled toward the ruckus with a quick, awkward gait. The satyr nodded. They scrambled out of the bush and started down the hill. Behind them, the ogress skidded to a halt and changed direction, coming after them. The goatman pitched the bucket of stew into a tangled patch of thorns and bounded over a fallen log. Kendra and Seth sprinted after him. Propelled by her downward momentum, Kendra found herself taking larger steps than she wanted. Each time her foot touched the ground became a fresh opportunity to lose her balance and tumble forward. Seth stayed a couple of steps ahead of her, and the swift satyr was gradually increasing his lead. Heedless of obstacles, the ogress pursued them noisily, trampling bushes and tearing through branches. She breathed in damp, wheezing gasps and cursed periodically, reverting to her****unintelligible native tongue. Despite her cumbersome size and apparent exhaustion, the misshapen ogress was rapidly gaining. The slope leveled out. Behind Kendra the ogress fell, branches and deadfalls snapping like fireworks. Kendra glanced back, catching a glimpse of the burly ogress surging to her feet. The satyr led them into a shallow ravine, where they found the wide entrance to a dark tunnel. **

**"This way," he said, dashing into the tunnel. **

**Although it looked spacious enough for the ogress to enter, Seth and Kendra followed without question. The satyr appeared confident, and he had been right so far. The tunnel grew darker the deeper they ran. Heavy footsteps followed them. Kendra glanced back. The ogress filled the subterranean passageway, blocking out much of the light filtering in from the opening. It became hard to see the satyr up ahead. The tunnel was growing narrower. Close behind Kendra, the ogress gasped and coughed. Hopefully she would have a heart attack and collapse. For a space, the darkness became complete. Then it began to brighten. The tunnel continued to shrink. Soon Kendra had to crouch, and the walls were within reach at either side. The satyr slackened his pace, looking back with a mischievous grin. Kendra checked over her shoulder as well. The panting ogress crawled and then scooted forward on her belly, wheezing and choking. When she could worm no farther, she roared in frustration, a strained, throaty cry. After that it sounded like she vomited. Up ahead the satyr was crawling. The passage slanted upward. They emerged through a small gap into a bowl-shaped depression. A second satyr stood waiting for them. The second had redder hair than the first and slightly longer horns. He motioned for them to follow. The two satyrs and two children charged recklessly through the woods for a few more minutes. When they arrived at a clearing with a tiny pond, the redheaded satyr stopped and faced the others. **

Kendra finished her apple. She looked out of the window. She hoped to see a flash of light somewhere in the distance to signal Bracken's departure but she knew he had already gone.

**"What was the idea, ruining our operation?" he asked. **

**"Clumsy work," the other satyr agreed. **

**"We didn't know," Kendra said. **

**"We thought it was a well." **

**"You thought a chimney was a well?" the redhead complained. "I suppose you sometimes mistake icicles for carrots? Or wagons for outhouses?" **

**"It had a bucket," Seth said. **

**"And it was in the ground," Kendra added. **

**"They have a point," the other satyr said. **

**"You were on the roof of the ogress' lair," explained the redhead. **

**"We get it now," Seth said. "We thought it was a hill." **

**"Nothing wrong with pinching a bit of soup from her cauldron," the redhead continued. "We try to be free with our assets. But you need to use some delicacy. A little finesse. At least wait until the old lady falls asleep. Who are you, anyhow?" **

**"Seth Sorenson." **

**"Kendra." **

**"I am Newel," said the redhead. **

**"This is Doren. You realize we'll probably have to construct a whole new rigging?" **

**"She'll rip the old one down," Doren explained. **

**"Almost more work than cooking our own stew," Newel huffed. **

**"We can't make it come out like she does," Doren mourned.**

Kendra fingered the core of the apple. She squeezed it between her fingers then she threw it at Seth who didn't even budge. Then she remembered her earlier problem. Was Seth in love? She knew now for an answer that Seth wasn't in love. If he was, then he really wouldn't have freaked out when he saw Warren and Vanessa kiss. Yeah, Kendra thought that was why he had been yapping about Warren being bitten.

**"She has a gift," Newel agreed. **

**"We're sorry," Kendra said. "We were a little lost." **

**Doren waved a hand. "Don't worry. We just like to bluster. If you spoiled our wine, that would be another story." **

**"Still," Newel said, "a guy has to eat, and free stew is free stew." **

**"We'll try to find a way to repay you," Kendra said. **

**"So will we," Newel said. **

**"You don't happen to have any... Batteries?" Doren asked. **

**"Batteries?" Seth asked, wrinkling his nose. **

**"Size C," Newel clarified. **

**Kendra folded her arms. "Why do you want batteries?" **

**"They're shiny," Newel said, nudging Doren with an elbow. **

**"We worship them," Doren said, nodding sagely. "They seem like little gods to us." The kids stared at the goatmen in disbelief, unsure how to continue the conversation. They were obviously lying. **

**"Okay," Newel said. "We have a portable television." **

**"Don't tell Stan."**

**"We had a mountain of batteries, but we ran out." **

**"And our supplier is no longer employed here." **

**"We could work out an arrangement." Newel spread his hands diplomatically. "Some batteries to repent for disrupting our stew siphoning–" **

**"Then we can trade for more. Gold, booze, you name it." Doren lowered his voice slightly. "Of course, we would need to keep our arrangement private." **

**"Stan doesn't like us watching the tube," said Newel. **

**"You know our grandpa?" Seth asked. **

**"Who doesn't?" Newel said. **

**"You haven't seen him lately?" Kendra asked. **

**"Sure, just last week," Doren said. **

**"I mean since last night." **

**"No, why?" Newel said. **

**"Haven't you heard?" Seth asked. **

**The satyrs shrugged at each other. "What's the news?" Newel asked. **

**"Our grandpa was kidnapped last night," Kendra said. **

**"Your grandfather is a kid?" Newel said.**

Newel was always indifferent, Kendra observed. Doren had a little more feeling. And Verl, she hadn't seen him for a while.

"**They mean he was abducted," Doren clarified. **

**Kendra nodded. "Creatures got into the house and took him and our housekeeper."**

**"Not Dale?" Doren asked. **

**"We don't think so," Seth said. Newel shook his head. **

**"Poor Dale. Never been very popular." **

**"Lousy sense of humor," Doren agreed. "Too quiet." **

**"You guys don't know who might have taken them?" Kendra asked. **

**"On Midsummer Eve?" Newel said, tossing up his hands. "Anybody. Your guess would be better than mine." **

**"Could you help us find him?" Seth asked. The satyrs shared an uneasy glance. **

**"Yeah, ouch," Newel began uncomfortably, "this is a bad week for us." **

**"Lots of commitments," Doren confirmed, backing away. **

**"You know, now that I've thought on it," Newel said. "We may have needed a new rigging on the chimney anyhow. How about we go our separate ways and call it even?" **

**"Don't take anything we said to heart," Doren said. "We were just being satirical." **

**Seth stepped forward. "Do you know something you aren't telling us?"**

**"It isn't that," Newel said, continuing his slow retreat. "It's just Midsummer Day. We're booked." **

**"Thanks for helping us get away from the ogress," Kendra said. **

**"Our pleasure," Newel replied. **

**"All part of the package," Doren added. **

**"Could you guys at least point us toward home?" Seth asked. The satyrs stopped retreating. **

**Doren extended an arm. "There's a path over there."**

**"When you reach it, go right," Newel said. **

**"That will get you started in the right direction." **

**"Give our best to Stan when he turns up." The satyrs hastily turned and dashed off into the trees.**

Now Kendra knew the reason why they had left so hastily. But right now her mind wasn't actually in the story. She turned off the nightlight and placed the book between the nightlight and the tray of food. She didn't bother bringing the tray downstairs. All she wanted to do was sleep. She didn't want to feel so alone.

Bracken walked through the royal garden with thousands of fairies flitting about. Every time he touched a flower it went into full bloom. He had sent his mother a message to send Gilgarol to take him back to the Fairy Kingdom. When he had arrived with globs of oatmeal still all over his face his mother had questioned why he looked like that, why he wanted to leave and why he wanted Gilgarol to escort him. He had answered that question vaguely. After he asked how his father was doing, he left for the garden. He looked at their unfinished castle where he and his family lived. He knew that outside the castle walls other shelters were being built. This was home, right? He looked up at the stars and thought of a distant place. Then why did he feel so alone?

A/N: This is my longest story so far. The comments by Warren and Vanessa on their kiss well, try not to dwell on it. I wasn't actually gone you know my mom just won't let me use the internet. Anyways, during the time that I wasn't here an idea popped into my head. I thought about making one-shot stories of Fablehaven and, maybe, also write a Percy Jackson version just like this. I mean, it'll be so much fun! Please try and help me decide in the reviews. If you find anything here that I spelled wrong, grammatically incorrect or a wrong fact from the book, please feel free to tell me. Anyone who helps me will be mentioned, of course. I also wanted to give you guys a heads-up on the fact that my PM works although, some messages don't get through so now you can tell me your ideas there. I still need five more reviews for this chapter before posting the next, by the way. Also if you wanted to read the first part of this story which is all thanks to 1238904756's efforts just copy this and paste this link on the search bar: s/8109871/1/Fablehaven-reads-Fablehaven. See ya round!


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 12: INSIDE THE BARN

A/N: I'm sorry I'm late. I asked her not to draw it, again. I just can seem to make up my mind but I hope to find a cover for this thing before I finish this first story. My first five are: MeTheAwesome, Gueeest, Greninja, Someone and Anonymous. There was only one question in the reviews so I guess I'll answer it. The one-shots would probably be about the two series of Rick Riordan: Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus. I figured I wasn't very specific in my last A/N. I tried to make them kiss but it just didn't feel right. Remember this story is thanks to 1238904756. I don't like holding you here for very long so, read on!

-_PREVIOUSLY_-

_Now Kendra knew the reason why they had left so hastily. But right now her mind wasn't actually in the story. She turned the nightlight off and placed the book between the nightlight and the tray of food. She didn't bother bringing it downstairs; all she wanted to do was sleep. She didn't want to feel so alone._

_Bracken walked through the royal garden with thousands of fairies flitting about. Every time he touched a flower it went into full bloom. He had sent his mother a message to send Gilgarol to take him back to the Fairy Kingdom. When he had arrived with globs of oatmeal still all over his face his mother had questioned why he looked like that, why he wanted to leave and why did he want Gilgarol to escort him. He had answered that question vaguely. After he asked how his father was doing he left for the garden. He looked at their unfinished castle, where he and his family lived. He looked to the other side where other shelters, less grand than his home, were being built. This was home, right? He looked up at the stars and thought of a distant place. Then why did he feel so alone?_

-_SUBSEQUENTLY_-

Bracken woke up to screaming. His sisters were at it again. He heard the shrieks of servants. It was always like this every morning. He grumbled as he got out of bed and threw his sheets at the floor in front of him where nothing could be seen before. A lump appeared where the sheet landed. A shushing sound was heard.

"You can come out now," Bracken urged. "Come out now or I'm telling Mother and Father."

Two small identical girls who could not be past ten years of age crawled out from under the sheet. They had dark purple eyes and blonde hair which flowed freely. They both wore the same nightgowns and had sorry looks on their faces.

"We're sorry, Brother." They apologized.

Bracken looked at them skeptically then spread his arms out. "Okay, I forgive you."

"Yay! Let's play! Let's play!" the little girls shouted as they jumped on Bracken, knocking him over on the bed.

Bracken laughed, pushing the girls gently off of him and onto the bed. "Alright, what game do you want to play?"

"I know! I know!" a little girl with freckles shot a hand into the air. "Let's play hide and seek!"

"You're it!" the girls playfully nudged Bracken.

"At the count of five," Bracken reminded and stood up, closing his eyes. "I'll start looking for you. One... Two... Three... Four... Five!" Bracken scanned the room. He didn't see his sisters. Usually, he saw them right after the game started. This must mean they've been practicing, Bracken scratched his chin thoughtfully. He looked under his bed, nope. He heard rustling. A giggle emanated from behind a curtain. The curtain which covered the window overlooking the garden rustled. "I guess they left the room," Bracken said in a loud voice. "I guess I'll just look elsewhere." He opened and closed the door loudly. The giggle repeated itself from behind the curtain. He rushed forward, moving the curtain aside to see what was behind. "Aha!" he exclaimed, clamping the freckled girl's mouth gently with his hand. "I got you!"

The freckled girl pulled his hand away, screaming playfully. "Hey! Let me go! Let me go!"

"Okay," he set the girl down.

"You were cheating weren't you?" she accused, placing both hands on her hips.

"Who me? No, of course not. Why would I?" Bracken imitated her pose.

They laughed then she motioned for him to come closer. He crouched then leaned forward. She whispered something into his ear. Bracken cocked his head to one side and looked at her with a measuring stare. The little girl shrugged. They both looked at Bracken's wardrobe. He stood up and crept closer to the wardrobe's right side. He opened the door carefully. A screaming mass of pajamas, shirts and socks went flying out of the wardrobe.

"Hey! You cheated!" the girl pointed at the freckled one.

"Did not!" she turned, folding her arms.

"Did too!" the girl countered, pulling a sock off her face. "You told Brother where I was hiding!"

"Now, now," Bracken scooped them into a hug. "Don't fight. Tell your sister you're sorry."

The freckled girl stifled a sob. "I'm sorry, Amethyst."

"I forgive you, Cosmos." Amethyst tried a smile, on the verge of tears.

The little girls burst into tears. "Brother!"

Bracken saw no other choice than to comfort them in small soothing croons. He sat on his bed, gently cradling his sisters. They soon stopped crying and before Bracken noticed, had fallen asleep. A knock interrupted the serenity.

"Come in," Bracken called in a regal tone.

An elf who was magically enlarged like most of the servants opened the door. "The Queen has requested your presence at breakfast."

"Tell her the Prince and the Princesses are coming," Bracken waved a dismissive hand. As the elf bowed and shambled away Bracken called him to a stop. "Halt! Have you seen my younger sister?"

"She has gone hunting, your majesty."

"What? Never mind. You may leave now."

"Thank you, your majesty," the elf bowed, walked away backwards and closed the door.

"Someone should chain that girl," Bracken muttered to himself. "Mother will get furious."

This is probably the third time in her whole life at Fablehaven that she did not feel like eating apple pancakes dusted with sugar. Seth's growth spurt had ended but he was still wolfing down the pancakes as usual. She poked the pancakes with her fork, deliberately procrastinating the next bite. She was thinking of Bracken's actions the night before. Had he really wanted to kiss her? Or he thought he wanted to kiss her but backed away when he realized he didn't like her that much?

Seth spoke with a mouthful of pancakes. "You know this exact situation reminds me of something? Are you gonna eat that?"

"Gross!" Kendra exclaimed, wiping off the bits of pancakes that had fallen on her arm with a napkin. "Watch that mouth of yours, moron. Your growth spurt has ended by the way."

Seth gulped some milk from a mug and patted his stomach. "Yeah, only recently." Seth had strung a piece of nylon through the coin Bracken had given and put it around his neck. The coin was glowing a faint silver blue.

"Is that Bracken?" Kendra asked anxiously, standing up and putting both hands on the table.

"Well, duh." Seth answered. "I mean who else would be calling me through a magical coin."

Kendra thought for a moment before answering. "Uhm... the Sphinx?"

"Coins can't call other coins," Seth explained.

"What?"

"Never mind."

_Seth? Seth? Seth can you hear me? _Bracken called.

_Sure. Why'd you call so early anyway? _Seth asked.

_Uhm... I can't come today,_ Bracken replied. Seth could imagine Bracken fingering a piece of cloth or whatnot on the other end of the telepathic line.

_Why not? _Seth asked sadly. He looked over the table and saw Kendra on the far side, giving him strange looks.

Bracken didn't answer for a moment. _I need to help my mother. I also need to find my sister._

_You have a sister? Cool! Then you must have brothers too, right? _Seth asked.

_No. I don't have any brothers. _Bracken replied, sounding a little crestfallen. _But my two younger sisters are rather fun to play with, _he added cheering up.

_Oh. Well I think Kendra won't mind, _Seth concluded.

_Ah, about Ken-, _Bracken stopped short.

Seth cut him off. _Wait! But you promised you'll teach me how to fight in hand-to-hand combat and using swords, today!_

_I promise I will teach you how. Just wait until I come back._

_Okay._ The connection disappeared and Seth looked at his sister again.

"What'd he say?" Kendra asked a little more anxiously than before.

"Kendra, you are the kindest, bravest and the most beautiful of all the girls I have ever met." Seth improvised in his best mimic of Bracken's voice. "I love you. When I come back to Fablehaven and ask you to marry me, please say yes." Seth ended his speech by making a loud kissing sound.

Kendra stared at him blankly. "You're pulling my leg."

Mom walked into the room carrying the tray of food and the book from Kendra's nightstand. "Would you like me to read you kids a story?"

"Sure," Seth said, placing another pile of pancakes on his plate. Kendra sighed and nodded. Marla took a seat and sat down.

**Kendra and Seth located the path just as the satyrs had instructed, and soon reencountered the nickel-sized holes that served as a perfect trail of breadcrumbs toward home. **

**"Those goat guys were idiots," Seth said. **

**"They did save us from the ogress," Kendra reminded him.**

"Kendra," her mother began in a sing-song voice. "You really do care for others."

"What does that make me?" Seth asked, swallowing in mid-sentence.

"The guy who helped save the world along with his sister." Kendra shrugged, taking another bite.

**"They could have helped us rescue Grandpa but they blew us off." He wore a scowl as they continued along the path. **

**As they neared the yard, they heard the inhuman groan again, the same sound they had heard while exiting the basement, only louder than ever. They halted. The perplexing sound was coming from up ahead. A long, plaintive moan, comparable to a blast from a foghorn. Seth dug some of the remaining salt out of a pocket and rushed ahead. With their quickened pace, they were soon back at the edge of the yard. Everything appeared normal. They saw no hulking behemoth capable of the enormous sound they had heard.**

"Come to think of it," Mom stopped. "I've heard a similar sound earlier this summer."

"You haven't seen Viola yet?" Seth and Kendra asked at the same time.

"Viola?" Mom asked looking at each of them.

"Yeah," Seth informed her. "The milch cow. She makes the milk we drink every morning to see the magical creatures, except for Kendra of course." Seth said that last phrase slower. "Do you want to see her?"

"Yes. Why not? Let's call your father first. I think he hasn't seen Viola as well." Mom started calling, "Scott? Scott? Get down here. The children need to show you something very important."

"Alright," Dad called from a floor above them. "I'm up, I'm up." Dad appeared in the dining room after a few seconds dressed in a green sweatshirt and workout pants.

"You guys drank milk yet?" Seth asked holding, two mugs in front his parents. They shook their heads and drank.

They walked towards the front porch where they all stopped for a few seconds to get their shoes on except for Seth. He vaulted over the railing and ran bare feet on the trail to the barn.

Mom called after him. "Seth, get back here this instant."

"Seth Michael Sorenson! You mind your mother now and wear some shoes!" his Father shouted. Seth usually heard that statement from Grandpa or was it Grandma.

Now if someone asked him what was the similarity of his father and grandparents he'd definitely say, "They have the same way of making me follow their orders." Seth walked back to the porch and cleaned the soles of his feet with a towel draped over the railing. He wore combat boots for no apparent reason. He trudged off towards the trail that led to the barn with his parents behind him and Kendra bringing up the rear. Mom began reading again.

**"You know, that salt didn't do much to the satyr," Kendra whispered. **

**"It probably only burns the bad creatures," he replied. **

**"I think the ogre lady picked some up." **

**"It was all mixed in the dirt by then. You saw it torch those guys last night." They waited, hesitant to enter the yard. **

**"Now what?" Kendra asked. The mighty groan resounded across the yard, nearer and louder. The shingles on the barn rattled. **

**"It's coming from the barn," Seth said. **

**"We never looked there!" Kendra said.**

"I never did too," Mom murmured. "Your grandfather told me something huge was in there and I was too scared to go there."

"I thought he was kidding," Dad yawned and opened a container that contained his favourite candies**. **"Want some?" he offered the box shaped container to Seth and Kendra before emptying it into his mouth. "Guess not."

**"I didn't think about it." The monstrous groan blared a third time. The barn shuddered. Birds flew up from the eaves. **

**"You think something took Grandpa and Lena to the barn?" Kendra said.**

**"Sounds like it's still there." **

**"Grandpa told us never to enter the barn." **

**"I think I'm already grounded," Seth said. **

**"No, I mean what if he keeps ferocious creatures in there? It might have nothing to do with his disappearance."**

"It's a good thing no one disappeared this Midsummer Eve," Mom eyed Seth.

"Mom, I was stupid then!" Seth groaned without looking back.

"I'm just saying," Mom looked at Seth. Kendra chuckled. Pinning Seth's old mistakes on him was a very good idea.

**"It's our best chance. Where else are we going to look? We have no other clues. The tracks were a dead end. At least we should try to get a peek inside." Seth started for the barn, with Kendra following reluctantly behind. **

**The towering structure rose a good five stories tall, topped by a weather vane in the shape of a bull. Kendra had never studied it for entrances until now. She noted the obvious set of large double doors in the front, along with some smaller access doors along the side. The barn creaked and then started shaking as if there were an earthquake. The sound of timbers splitting filled the air, followed by another mournful moan. Seth glanced back at Kendra. Something huge was in there. A few moments later the barn grew still. Chains and a heavy padlock bound the double doors in front, so Seth moved along the side of the building, quietly trying the smaller doors. All were locked. The barn had several windows, but the lowest were three stories off the ground. They stealthily circled the entire building, finding no doors unlocked. There weren't even any cracks or peepholes. **

Seth stopped abruptly making everyone else bump into each other. "Here we are!"

Dad looked at the book in Mom's hands then at the barn, he repeated this for some time. "It looks different from what's described in the book."

"Dad," Kendra began. "The barn and the main house were remodelled after the fight against the demons. This description is of the first time we were here."

"I guess I forgot," he looked offended. Kendra dismissed the thought.

Loud, heavy footfalls resounded from beyond the trail leading to Warren's hut. Hugo approached them with Dale riding on his shoulder. Hugo came to a stop in front of them. He set Dale down in front of the medium sized door.

"Hi Seth," the golem rumbled his earthy tone. "Kendra."

"Here to see Viola?" Dale asked, unlocking the door and going inside. Soon a door big enough for Hugo to use opened. "Well come in."

Hugo picked up the four of them and carried them into the barn. He set them down a few feet away from the entrance.

Dad gawked at the huge cow in front of him. "I've been living my whole life on this place and I never saw this cow before?" the question sounding more like an exclamation.

Mom backed away, frightened. "I knew there was some sort of monster in here."

"Be careful, you might step in one of the cow pies." Seth joked.

Mom whirled around. "There's nothing here!"

"Mom, look behind the cow." Kendra pointed at the biggest stack.

Dad and Mom averted their gaze to where Kendra was pointing. "Holy crap!"

"I know, right?" Seth said, beaming.

"Seth," Dale called, lifting a barrel. "You think you can help me carry a few more barrels for Hugo to fill?"

Seth ran and lifted his own barrel. Dad followed him. Mom fanned herself and sat on a bench near the entrance. Kendra followed her. Hugo shambled forward carrying two of the barrels at a time. Soon he started milking Viola. Dale, Seth and Dad left Hugo and started towards them. When they arrived Mom started reading.

**"Grandpa sealed this place up tight," Kendra whispered. **

**"We may have to make some noise to get inside," Seth said. He started circling the building again. **

**"I'm not sure that would be smart." **

**"I'll wait until the barn starts shaking again." Seth sat down in front of a small door, little more than three feet high. Minutes passed. **

**"Think it knows we're waiting?" Kendra asked. **

**"You're just bad luck." **

**"Stop saying that." A fairy glided over near them. Seth tried to shoo it away. "Get out of here." The fairy effortlessly dodged his shooing motions. The more vigorously he waved her away, the closer she came. **

**"Stop it, you're just egging her on," Kendra said. **

**"I'm sick of fairies." **

**"Then ignore her and maybe she'll leave." He stopped paying attention to the fairy. **

**She came up right behind his head. When the proximity earned no reaction, the fairy landed on his head. Seth slapped at her, missing as she wove around his intended blows. Just when he jumped to his feet to chase her, the booming groan came again. The little door trembled. Seth plopped back down and started ramming the door with both feet. The moaning muffled most of the impact's noise. On the fifth kick, the edge of the little door split and swung open. Seth rolled away from the opening, and Kendra stepped aside as well. Digging in his pockets, Seth withdrew the remnants of his salt.**

"It's like you're breaking into some sort of fort," Dad said.

"You know," Dale said. "I never got to fix that broken door."

"The brownies probably fixed it," Kendra said.

"Possible," Dale allowed.

**"Want some?" he mouthed. Kendra accepted some salt. A second or two later, the deafening moaning ceased. Seth gestured for Kendra to wait. He crept through the small door. Kendra waited, squeezing the salt in her palm. Seth reappeared in the opening wearing an inscrutable expression. "You have to see this," he said. **

**"What?" **

**"Don't worry. Come look." Kendra ducked through the little doorway. The enormous barn contained just one cavernous room with a few closets around the perimeter. The entire room was dominated by a single gigantic cow. **

**"Not what I expected," Kendra murmured in disbelief. **

**She gawked at the colossal bovine in amazement. The huge head was up near the rafters, forty or fifty feet in the air. A hayloft spanning an entire side of the building served as a feed box. The cow's hooves were the size of hot tubs. The tremendous udder was absolutely bulging. Milk beaded and dripped from teats almost the size of punching bags. The gargantuan cow cocked its head, staring down at the newcomers to the barn. It let out a long moo, making the barn shake simply by shifting its stance. **

**"Holy cow," Kendra muttered. **

**"You can say that again. I doubt Grandpa will be running out of milk anytime soon." **

**"We're friends," Kendra called up to the cow. The cow tossed its head and began munching from the hayloft. **

**"Why haven't we heard this thing before?" Seth wondered. **

"Why haven't I heard this thing before?" Dad stressed the word I. "I mean come on. You live in a preserve for years and you don't hear this cow."

"Hugo probably milked it during all those years you spent here," Seth concluded.

"That's the smartest thing you've ever said in ages," Kendra joked.

"I can be smart when I want to," Seth countered.

"I'm just joking."

"Hugo's almost finished," Dale reported, walking to the golem. "Do you want to help me give the fairies their share of the milk?"

"If I give them the milk," Seth stood up and followed Dale. "They probably wouldn't even drink it."

"I don't think so," Mom said. "The fairies seem to like you."

Kendra gulped. Why did she have the feeling that the word was supposed to be love? Mom closed the book and placed it on the bench. She stood up and followed Dale. Dad followed her. Kendra followed him. Dale showed them the pile of wooden bowls to be filled with milk and placed along the boundaries of the yard.

Kendra picked a bowl and scooped some milk from a barrel with it. She walked outside, careful not to spill any on her new shirt. She and Seth had a crazy idea this summer to tear up some shirts and leave them for the brownies to fix. Seth got three shirts while Kendra got two, the shirts fit them perfectly. Today, Kendra was wearing the blue one with matching light green frills and ribbons. It was definitely girly. She placed her bowl near the trail leading to the naiad pond.

Seth tried to find a good spot for his milk bowl. He looked across the yard. He knew that Dale usually put them on the edge of the yard but he decided to put it in the yard. His gaze landed on the birdbath where dozens of fairies checked their reflections in the water. He approached them and placed the milk bowl at the foot of the birdbath. The fairies scattered in different directions except for one red fairy. She was familiar with fiery red hair and sparkling sea green eyes. She wore a new dress than the last time Seth had seen her. Her dragonfly wings were hard to see in the sunlight.

"Hello Seth," Juniper sang. "Why are you out doing the helper's chores?"

"I'm helping him and the helper has a name you know," Seth said, mad because apparently Juniper didn't have the slightest idea that Dale was a friend of his and slightly glad that she was very fluent in English.

"I'm sorry but we find most humans trivial," Juniper looked away.

"How come I can see you in the sunlight?" Seth asked curious.

"It's a secret remember?" she said playfully without turning back.

Some of the fairies hovered near them, hateful expressions on their face. "Hey, do you like milk?" Seth asked.

"All fairies do."

Kendra watched awestruck. Whatever was happening with Seth and the fairies was definitely weird. Most of the fairies hung in a loose circle around Seth and a strangely familiar looking fairy. The fairies wore jealous faces with their arms crossed. But the strangest thing was that from the movement of their mouths it looked like Seth and the redhead were having a chat. She strained her ears to listen.

"Milk lets us see magical creatures," Seth told her. "What do you see when you drink it?"

"No more, no less than what we can see without it."

"So, you like shadows?"

"You ask funny questions," she giggled then flew off.

"Wait!" Seth stretched out a hand. "I forgot to ask." His sentence trailed off, "Your name."

The other fairies chirped and giggled excitedly. Some glided near Seth. He tried to shoo away the ones that plucked strands of his hair. Some touched his face, gently caressing it in warmth. Kendra found all the attention he was getting ridiculously funny.

Seth did not like it one bit. He was too scared to hurt them or even shoo them away. But he did try to shoo away the ones that plucked his hair out. The treaty did mention that if something hurt him he was free to hurt it back without decreasing the treaty's protection on him. He waited for a moment. An albino fairy looked at him directly in the eyes and squealed, spiralled downwards then shot back up into the air. That totally freaked him out. He ran towards the front porch and into the house.

"Kendra! Seth!" Mom called. "Oh! There you are dear. I thought you and your brother went into the forest! Speaking of your brother, where is he?"

Her mother had her in a death hug. "In the house," she choked on each word.

"Sorry dear. Come on let's get in the house."

"Where's Dad?"

"He insisted on helping Dale and Hugo in their chores."

"I wish Mendigo was here to help them."

They entered the house to find Seth, shivering on the sofa.

"Seth? Are you alright?" Mom and Kendra asked at the same time.

"Yeah, sure. Why won't I be alright?" he asked, voice cracking.

"Do you want me to continue reading?" Mom asked Seth. He gave a half nod.

**"She probably never moos. I think she's in pain," Kendra observed. "See how swollen the udder looks? I bet it could fill a swimming pool." **

**"Seriously." **

**"Somebody probably milks her every morning." **

**"And nobody did today," said Seth. They stood and stared. The cow continued munching from the hayloft. Seth pointed at the back of the barn. "Look at the manure!" **

**"Sick!" **

**"The world's biggest cow pie!" **

A faint smile appeared on Seth's pale face. Something about the fairies must've really spooked him, Kendra thought.

Seth wasn't sure but the fairies' attention was definitely weird. He thought that they might just cast some other horrid spell on them. He had freaked out and panicked and he hoped that his sister didn't see him. The redhead was pretty cool, like Shiara she was the chatty type who didn't detest talking to humans. Seth wondered why she looked familiar. Then it struck him. She was the same fairy whom he captured. She was also the fairy who saved him from being an ugly looking-old man! Vertigo washed over him and he gritted his teeth. His breathing slowed down after a while then calmed down. Did the fairy forgive him already? Maybe. And if not why was she being so friendly? Seth could not find an excuse.

**"You would notice that." The cow let out another bellowing complaint, the most insistent so far. They clamped their hands over their ears until the lowing stopped. "We probably should try to milk her," Kendra said. **

**"How are we supposed to do that!" Seth cried. **

**"There has to be a way. They must do it all the time." **

**"We can't even reach her thingies." **

**"I bet that cow could tear this place apart if she wanted. I mean, look at her! She keeps getting more upset. Her udder looks like it's about to burst. Who knows what kind of powers she has. Her milk lets people see fairies. The last thing we need is a giant magical cow running around loose. It could be total mayhem."**

Soft footfalls resounded across the room. Kendra gazed at the direction of her grandparent's bedroom. Grandpa rounded a corner, yawning.

"Good morning," he scratched his back and stretched. "Up early I see. I think I didn't hear a chapter or two. May I borrow it later?"

"Of course," Marla nodded and resumed reading to her children as Grandpa stacked some pancakes on his plates in the dining room.

**Folding his arms, Seth surveyed the task. "This is impossible." **

**"We need to search the closets. Maybe they have special tools." **

**"What about Grandpa?" **

**"We're out of leads," said Kendra. "If we don't milk this cow, we could end up with a new disaster on our hands." **

**In the closets they found a variety of tools and equipment, but no obvious gear for milking gargantuan cows. There were empty barrels all around, in and out of closets, which Kendra figured must be used for catching milk. In one closet Kendra found a couple of A-frame ladders. **

**"These might be all we need," she said. **

**"How do we even get our hands around those things?" **

**"We don't." **

**"There has to be a gigantic milking machine," Seth said. **

**"I'm not seeing anything like that. But it might work if we just hug and drop."**

Mom's face paled. A well-known expression on her face. "Don't tell me you kids did what I think you did."

Seth's face had a little more color, recovering a little from the initial shock. "We did."

"Are we talking about the same thing we did here?" Kendra asked.

"If you're talking about sliding down teats and swimming in milk, yes." Mom answered.

Grandpa approached them and sat down on a leather couch in front of them.

**"Are you nuts?" **

**"Why not?" Kendra said, motioning between the teats and the floor. "It isn't that far from the nipples to the ground." **

**"We're not trying to use barrels?" **

**"No, we can waste the milk. Barrels would get in the way. We just need to relieve the pressure." **

**"What if she steps on us?" **

**"She hardly has any room to move. If we stay under the udder, we'll be fine." They dragged the ladders into position, one beside each of two teats on the same side of the mammoth cow. They climbed the ladders. Only by standing one rung from the top were they high enough to grip the teat near the udder. Seth stood waiting while Kendra tried to get into position. "These feel wobbly," she said. **

**"Balance." She hesitantly stood upright. It felt a lot higher than it had looked from the ground. **

**"You ready?"**

**"No. I bet this barn will hold her." **

**"We have to at least try." **

**"Hug the thingy and slide down?" Seth asked. **

Grandpa choked on a piece of pancake. He slammed his fist against his chest. Mom dropped the book and ran to the kitchen to get him a glass of water. Mom returned shortly afterwards. Grandpa took the glass gratefully and drank the contents. Seth could no longer hold back the boiling laughter. It came out as guffaws. Kendra eyed him warily.

**"We'll trade off, you, then me, then you, then me. Then we'll do the other side." **

**"How about you start it?" **

**"You're better at this sort of stuff," Kendra said. **

**"That's true, I milk a lot of giant cows. I'll show you my trophies sometime." **

**"Seriously, you start," urged Kendra. **

**"What if it hurts her?" **

**"I don't think we're big enough. I'm more worried that we're not going to be able to get any out." **

**"So I should squeeze as hard as I can," Seth confirmed. **

**"Sure." **

**"Once I do it, you'll do it, and we'll just keep going as fast as we can." **

**"And if I ever find a giant cow milking trophy, I'll buy it for you," Kendra offered. **

**"I'd rather we kept it our little secret. You ready?" **

"Stan! Stan!" Grandma called from the kitchen. "Where are the pancakes?"

Grandpa looked at his plate then at the direction from where Grandma's voice came. "Ah, the pancakes? Oh that's a shame. I think Seth ate them."

Seth gave Grandpa a weird look. "What? I did not-."

Kendra clamped his mouth shut with her hand. Mom giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Seth?" Grandma said slowly. "Well I think it's rather reasonable. I'll just whip up another batch for me, Vanessa, Dale, Tanu, Warren and Scott."

The moment after she said their names, they entered the vicinity. Warren and Vanessa were probably sleeping together. A possible benefit of their new elevated status. Dale entered the room, not actually caring about Vanessa and Warren for a moment, wearing a grin. Tanu and Dad came in last.

"While me, Hugo and Scott were out checking the naiad pond," Dale began. "Raxtus came and told us that Agad would be coming over to visit. Well nothing bad is happening at the moment, so I took it for good news."

Vanessa walked over to Grandma who was starting to make the batter. Warren plopped down on a seat in the dining room where he contentedly watched Vanessa prepare apple syrup from whole fruits. He was sitting down in a peculiar way with his chest pressing against the chair's backrest.

"Then why would he visit us?" Grandpa asked nonchalantly.

"Who knows?" Warren shrugged, not taking his eyes off Vanessa. "Probably, he's gonna ask me, Seth and Bracken on another epic quest, knowing that we are the most capable people here."

"And where does that leave us?" Vanessa and Kendra asked at the same time.

"He probably wants you to come with us as well for back-up," Warren answered.

**"Go for it." Hesitantly Seth placed a hand against the huge teat. The cow mooed, and he recoiled, crouching and grabbing the ladder with both hands to steady himself. Kendra tried to stay balanced as she laughed. Finally the foghorn moo ended. **

**"I changed my mind," Seth said. **

**"I'll count to three," said Kendra. **

**"You go first or I'm not doing it. I almost fell and wet my pants at the same time."**

**"One... Two... Three!" Seth stepped off the ladder, embracing the teat. He slid down it and fell to the floor along with an impressive jet of milk. Kendra stepped off and hugged the teat as well. Even with her holding tightly, it slid through her embrace faster than she expected. She hit the floor with warm milk already soaking her jeans. Seth was on his way back up the ladder. **

**"I'm already disgusted," he said, stepping off and sliding down again.**

Warren laughed and slapped his thigh, nearly falling off the chair. "I never did that before! Wonder how it feels like, eh, brother?"

"I could live my whole life without needing to endure that," Dale said, completely unmoved.

"You guys are idiots!" Seth blurted. "It was definitely disgusting. Like taking a bath in warm milk!"

Kendra sighed. "Seth, you were taking a bath in warm milk."

"Oh yeah."

**This time he kept his feet when he landed. Kendra went up and slid down again. Hugging as hard as she could, she descended a little more slowly, but still fell over when she hit the floor. Already milk was everywhere. Soon they fell into a rhythm, both of them landing on their feet most of the time. The engorged udder hung low, and they got better at using the teat-hug to control their fall. Milk gushed copiously. While they were sliding, the teats sprayed like fire hoses. It must have been at least seventy jumps each before the output began to slacken. **

**"Other side," Kendra gasped, breathing hard. **

**"My arms are dead," Seth complained. **

**"We have to hurry." **

**They scooted the ladders over and repeated the process. Kendra tried to pretend she was on a surreal playground, where the kids waded in milk instead of sand and slid down thick, meaty poles. **

Seth gave her a knowing look. "So that's why you don't like going to the playground."

"Just shut up Seth," Kendra scolded. "We aren't even in that part yet."

**Kendra focused on climbing the ladder and landing as lightly as possible. She worried that if either action became routine, she could have a bad accident, spraining an ankle, breaking a bone, or worse. At the first sign that the flow of milk was slackening, they collapsed in exhaustion, not worried about lying in milk because their clothes and hair were already drenched. Both of them gulped air desperately. **

**Kendra put a hand to her neck. "My heart is beating like a jackhammer." **

**"I thought I was going to puke, that was so foul," complained Seth. **

**"I'm more tired than sick." **

**"Think about it. You're dripping with warm, raw milk while your face rubs down a cow nipple about a hundred times."**

Warren laughed again. Men and their idiocy, Vanessa thought lovingly. She stirred the apple syrup. It almost looked like jam. She added more water.

**"More than that." **

**"We doused the whole barn," Seth said. "I'm never drinking milk again." **

**"I'm never going to the playground," Kendra vowed. **

**"What?" **

**"Hard to explain." **

**Seth scanned the area under the cow. "The floor has drains, but I don't think much of the milk is going down." **

**"I saw a hose. I doubt the cow would like milk rotting all over the place." Kendra sat up and squeezed milk out of her hair. "That was the best workout I ever had. I'm dead."**

**"If I did that every day I'd look like Hercules," said Seth. **

Everyone turned to look at Seth. Everyone, especially Warren, eyed him suspiciously.

"I can't say if you look good with six-pack abs, Seth." Warren said after another moment of scrutiny. Everyone laughed including Seth.

"I wouldn't just look good," Seth corrected. "I'd look devastatingly handsome." He ran a hand through his hair which actually made him look good. Nearly everyone coughed their disapprovement.

"Ugh!" Kendra said in frustration. "Stop doing that!"

"Then why do you go gaga when Bracken does it, huh?" Seth retorted. Kendra kept quiet.

**"You mind grabbing the ladders?" **

**"Not if you do the hosing." **

**The hose was long and had good water pressure, and the drains seemed to have plenty of capacity. Flushing the milk away turned out to be the easiest part of the process. Seth had Kendra hose him off, and then returned the favor. From the time the milking began in earnest, the cow made no more noise and displayed no more interest in them. They called for Grandpa and Lena in the barn, just to be sure, starting with small voices to avoid startling the cow and gradually building to shouts. As had been their lot all day, their calls went unanswered. **

**"Should we go back to the house?" Kendra asked. **

**"I guess. It will be dark before long." **

**"I'm tired. And hungry. We should look for food." They left the barn. The day was waning. "You have a big tear in your shirt," Kendra said. **

**"I ripped it while we were running from that ogress." **

**"I have a pink one you can borrow." **

**"This will work fine," said Seth, "once it dries off." **

**"The pink one would hide you just as well as the camouflage," Kendra said. **

**"Are all girls as brainless as you?"**

Vanessa looked away from the syrup she was pouring into a bowl. Seth did not just say that, she thought. Seth met her gaze. She instantly looked away, steaming.

**"You're telling me a green shirt will make you invisible to monsters?" **

**"No. Less visible. Less is the point. Less than your blue one." **

"I thought Kendra was smart," Newel said, walking into the living room.

"Newel?" Stan asked bewildered.

"And Doren," Doren added.

"I thought I erased your names already," Stan said.

"Apparently not," Newel said, lifting an arm then dropping it. "And it looks we're just in time for breakfast."

"The pancakes aren't all done yet," Grandma reported from the kitchen.

"I invited them over," Seth admitted. "I just wanted them to be there when Bracken teaches me sword fighting and all those other cool stuff. Please Grandpa?"

"Okay," Grandpa sighed in defeat.

**"I guess I should find a green one too."**

"Well that's the end of it," Mom closed the book.

"You know," Seth observed. "You're still wearing a blue shirt."

"With frills," Newel added.

"And sparkly things," Doren nodded.

"Seth's still wearing a green shirt," Kendra pointed. His shirt was dark green with white horizontal stripes that accentuated the fact that he definitely had been working out be it with the satyrs, Bracken or Warren.

"The pancakes are done!" Grandma called from the kitchen.

"I'm first! I'm first!" Warren yelled, apparently overjoyed at the fact that he was the first one to taste the new batch of pancakes. Everyone else hurried to the kitchen

"Oh and by the way Seth," Grandma said when he reached the dining room. "Don't even bother eating another pancake."

"But it was Grandpa who finished them," he whined.

A/N: Oh, I think I sucked at writing this chapter. I was just able to access the internet today, January 17, 2014. I think I'm having a writer's block so please send me PMs on your ideas or just keep on reviewing and ask a few more questions. I sometimes love being criticized because it gives me something to work on. But don't get mad at me because some messages don't get through and I'm still trying to figure that out. I think I'll start working on the one-shot now by making a poll. Please go to my profile at ~sdrener to vote for my new one-shot. Or you can just tell me in the reviews, please. I still need five more reviews to start working on the next chapter. Also if you wanted to read the first part of this story which is all thanks to 1238904756's efforts just copy this and paste this link on the search bar: s/8109871/1/Fablehaven-reads-Fablehaven. See ya round!


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